Reign of Darkness
by ShadowForge
Summary: A medieval world is at war and six pokémon find themselves entangled in the world's problems. Soon they will all know the true meaning of fear and realize there's something far worse than the war that will effect not just their lives, but everyone elses lives as well.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

Deep, beneath the earth was a dark and arid room in the shape of a square with for round stone pillars cracked and aged. The ground of the room was like that of almost every other room in the underground dungeon, they were made of square stone tiles, the walls were that of a very smooth light grey stone. The room had three doorways, one locked at the east, an iron one with boards nailed to it in the south end, and to the west was one wide open. In a corner were some barrels, while a wooden structure stood at the north of the chamber. The four pillars were decorated with torches who's flames danced wildly, illuminating the room.

Those flames weren't the only things dancing in the room...

The barrels collapsed as something was thrown into them, the sound of wood snapping echoed throughout the room followed by a groan. Buried in the rubble of broken barrels was an orange and cream furred creature with black stripes along his back. Flint, the growlithe, groaned while trying to get up after being thrown recklessly into the barrels. He looked around in the rubble to see if there were any items inside the barrels, all he managed to find was an apple and some purple ring that illuminated mysteriously, both useless to him in this situation.

Emerging from the darkness was a mankey, around its wrists were some silvery metal that glistened with the fire. The mankey was walking closer to the corner Flint was pinned in, Flint felt too tired to even try getting back up after the mankey preformed a seismic toss. In his head though, he still had a quick back up plan ready. The mankey was now out of paws reach for Flint. Flint quickly reacted by using his teeth to grab a sharp wooden piece still left in the debris. He shoved it just above the mankey's left leg, digging into its skin causing it to scream in pain. The mankey ripped the wood out of its thigh area, and slapped Flint across the face with it, causing a couple splinters to force their way into Flint's skin. Afterwards, the mankey raised a first in the air, ready to finish him off, Flint clenched his eye anticipating the inevitable.

The flames continued dancing as blood splattered onto the wall. The mankey stood above the growlithe, and silently, yet slowly, fell to the ground. Sticking out its back was a radiating pink light in the shape of a sharp needle, the aura of energy began dissipating into the air.

Flint slowly opened his eyes to see the mankey lifeless on the floor, he let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the northern wall. Something red reflected in the darkness. The third pokemon who was in the room, the one the mankey was completely oblivious to, the one who just saved Flint, that's who was there.

"That would have been helpful _much_ earlier," Flint said to the pokemon in the shadows while beginning to pluck the splinters from his face.

Jumping down from the wooden structure and walking up to Flint was a lilac cat-like pokemon with a gem in its head and a forked tail, an espeon, known as Starshine, "Maybe you should have killed him sooner," she said mockingly.

"You know I don't like killing if I don't have too..."

Starshine rolled her eyes since this wasn't her first time listening to Flint complain about not enjoying taking another's life. Starshine started investigating around the room, "Anyway, were you able to find any useful items in here?"

"I found an apple and some strange purple ring," Flint said while brushing the dust from his fur. Then he looked at the ring which was now on the ground.

"I didn't find anything up on the wooden platform, prehaps the mankey was wearing something?"

"He was, defanently, his punches were a lot more powerful than regular ones, it might have something to do with his silver braces around his wrists," Flint suggested while walking over to the dead mankey.

Starshine followed him and inspected the mankey's silver braces, placing her palm on them and closing her eyes. Starshine, just like any psychic-type, had the ability to sense magical powers within things, which helped when she touched the silver braces, she did indeed notice a magical feedback from them. "Hmm, I see, the silver braces increase attack power, but reduce speed, makes sense. We could probably sell these, or perhaps they might be useful in the future."

"What about the purple ring? What does it do?" Flint questioned while getting ready to touch it.

"Don't!" Starshine warned, "That's a ring of poison, put that on and you'd soon be on the floor withering away and foaming out the mouth. "

Flint abruptly stopped, "Yeah, that wouldn't exactly be a pleasant day, now would it? How is a ring of poison even useful though?"

"Well," Starshine started while walking over to the boarded up door and inspecting it, "they're usually used by assassins who trick their targets into wearing the ring, little does the victim know, they're slowly being injected with a toxin that will shut down their organs. When they do realize," Starshine was now using her psychic powers to remove the nails keeping the door in place, "it's too late, the damage is done, their organs don't work, they're bleeding internally, and eventually, they die..."

The two were silent leaving only the sound of torches burning, "So," Flint began with a pause, "do we take the ring or leave it?"

"It would be best to collect everything we find, everything serves a purpose. We could sell it, find a use for it, or maybe become allies with someone who could wear it, like a steel type or maybe a gliscor with the ability poison heal,"

Flint simply nodded his head and grabbed the ring to take it to his backpack that was laying against the northwest pillar, he had removed his backpack before engaging in battle with the mankey. As he reached it, Starshine was finished removing the nails from the door followed by the boards keeping it in place. Flint dropped the ring in the bag and put the straps of the bag around his forelegs, then he uses his paws to buckle a strap around his waist.

"What do you think is on the other side?" Flint asked while walking up to the mankey's corps and removing is braces to put in the bag.

"Well, it was boarded up, prehaps they're trying to keep something inside."

"Or maybe they're trying to keep someone out."

"Either way you look at it, it's the same thing, something is in there," Starshine opened the door slowly, the aged hinges creaking every inch of the way. The room before them was void of light, but the air was dusty.

"Flint, use a fireball real quick," Starshine commanded the fire dog.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

Though still confused, Flint co-operated, he used his heat sacks to build up heat in his mouth which mixed with the oxygen and his flammable saliva, thus creating a fire within his mouth. With a spit-like motion, Flint shot the ball of fire into the darkness. It didn't travel far, but instead levitate in the air. Flint was confused, Starshine was aware of the fact and decided to explain.

"I created a force field around your fire, there's also a direct flow of oxygen, so it should last for some time." Flint was impressed.

The room now had its own source of light. The room was square, just like the last one, however its northern door was its only door. The tile floor was decorated with a brown, tattered rug. The south end of the room contained a desk that was cluttered with paper, a bottle of dried ink and a quill, and also candles. The walls were covered in claw marks. Most noticeable of all was a skeleton of a pokemon on the ground.

"Well," Flint started, "that's not a normal sight." the duo began searching the room is search of more valuable items, mainly a key to unlock the locked door from the previous room. "What do you think happened here?"

"From the looks of it, whatever this pokemon was, it was locked in this room and attempted escaping. Prehaps these papers can tell us more, but honestly, it only slows the matter at hand that we need to get out of this dungeon."

"Still, I'm curious about what happened." Flint walked over to the cluttered table and began rummaging through the disorganized papers. "Huh, they're actually in order by day,"

"By day?" Starshine inquired.

"Yeah, this one starts with 'Day 5,' and another over here says 'Day 7.'"

"But we're underground, how could they have any idea if a day passed or not?"

Flint was taken aback. "I didn't even think about that, but I'm not too sure myself. Anyway, I'll read them aloud if you don't mind."

"Suit yourself," Starshine said while investigating the skeletal remains on the carpet.

Flint cleared his throat, "'Day 1, I did not think it would happen but it did, they finally found me, and they're not happy. I thought for sure they would kill me, but they found something else than ending my life quickly. They have trapped me in this room, I am unable to open the door, it is blocked from the outside. Now, they have access to my treasure room, I left the door wide open, I didn't even think of locking it, if only I had, then they wouldn't have been able to claim what they came for. Luckily, I have the key hidden in this room with me. Hopefully I find a way out of here soon...'" the two sat in silence and let all of the new information sink in.

"So," Starshine said, breaking the silence while still looking at the features of the skeleton, "there is a key, but where is it?"

"I'm not too sure, probably under the rug?" Flint suggested, "But I wonder who 'they' is referring to, and what it was they were after. Anyway, 'Day 2,'" Flint began. Starshine became less interested in the skeleton and lifted the rug as Flint suggested. "'Well, I am not sure if another day has passed or not. I judge days by falling asleep, and when I wake up I assume it's the next day. I haven't had any food, but I've been able to use my ice attacks to at least provide water for when I'm thirsty,'"

"Hmm," Starshine thought, "so it was an ice type I assume. Also from looking at the skeleton, it was bipedal,"

"That's still a broad description to distinguish what pokemon it was, but seeings as there's scratches on this wall, it would have to of had sharp claws, so I'd guess it was a weavile or cubchu." Flint shivered a bit, remembering a time ghee had a run in with a weavile.

"Realistically though, it looks more like a weavile, but that's irrelevant. We need to find this key,"

"I know I know, let me see if there's any more letters that'll give us a clue," Flint searched through the papers looking for the proceeding day but to no avail, "huh, there's no day three or day four, I suppose I'll just read from day five then. 'Day 5, I forgot to write the previous days, I was side tracked trying to escape, I've tried everything! I've tried digging, breaking the hinges from the door, I even cried for help. No one's in the dungeon though, I'm the only soul here. I started talking to my key, it's the only thing I have now to comfort me in this lonly time,' lonely is spelt wrong," Flint noted.

"Well, no one's perfect," Starshine replied.

"Yeah, anyway, 'Day 6, I can hardly stand the hunger anymore, I have started eating random things in the room. The rug for instance, it was not a plesant experiance,' those last two words are also misspelled,"

"Are you going to make that observation every time you notice it?" Starshine asked with a rise of an eyebrow.

"No, it's just strange, all the previous letters had perfect spelling, it just seems odd I suppose. Just a minor gripe."

"I don't care at the moment, just keep reading in hopes of finding a clue or hint for the location of the key."

"'Day 7, my candle is almost dead, it actually makes me feel sad, I have known the candle for such long time. It matters not at leest I still have key. I tryed my key on door erlyer but didnt work. Key is use less to me now,'" this time Flint refrained from mentioning the multiple errors.

Starshine now walked over to Flint, deciding to take a break from searching for the key. The two noticed Flint's flame was about to die as the room grew darker. Flint once again produced a flame effortlessly and shot it into the floating field, fueling the fire once more.

"'Day... question mark?'" Flint said confused.

"He called it question mark?" Starshine said while looking at the same paper as Flint.

"No, it's literally a question mark, like the symbol."

"Keep reading," Starshine instructed.

"Ive lost track of the days, my candel has gone dark and I cood hardly see a thing, my sight is better now, Ive grown use to the darknes now. I now can rite agin. Key is gon to,' is it me or do the letters seem more rushed?"

"I see what you mean by the spelling errors, and yes, they do seem rushed, but I'm unsure why..."

"Well, there's one last letter, let's see if there's any clues here or if we're wasting our time...it just says goodbye at the top..." the room feel silent.

"It...killed itself...?"

"Or it accepted death?"

Suddenly Starshine realized something, "The darkness..."

"The darkness? What about it?"

"Think about it, being trapped in complete darkness for a week, with only a candle light. How would you feel?"

"I would feel alone, to say the least."

"Besides that, think harder a little. Don't you think you'd feel like you're losing your sanity? Darkness has a strange way of working, it causes us to see things that aren't there. It deceives us of reality, we are blinded by it, darkness is pure evil if you think about it. I can tell you that from experience."

"Insanity," Flint quietly said to himself.

"It was losing its sanity, think about it, it started with the misspelling of words, then the change in writing and using the rug as... well, food. But, most of all, when it said the key was 'useless' to it. It was all because of the darkness driving it insane."

"Wow," Flint said admiring Starshine, "that's cool that you could determine that from these notes. But, still the most important question is, where is the key? Without the key we're still stuck here and we've both agreed on no going back."

The two spent the next few minutes searching up and down the room, nothing was found. It took some thinking, but eventually Starshine thought of something that may of been useful.

"Wait a minute," said Starshine.

"What is it?"

"Well, I'm just thinking, not that I'd ever consider it, but if I were to take my life, I wouldn't want to be alone, I'd want to die near someone at least,"

"Okay?" Flint said with a raise of an eyebrow

"It referred to the key as if it was a friend of sorts, prehaps he died with the key?" Immediately, the two had the same idea and decided to search the weavile's skeletal remains, Starshine stopping abruptly though.

"What's wrong?"

"It's...dead," she said with disgust.

"Yeah, and? So is the mankey outside."

"I'm not going to touch that, it's nasty!"

Flint rolled his eyes, "Fine, then I'll do it." Flint began reaching for the skull but stopped himself and cringed at the sight of it.

"Well?"

"On second thought, I'd rather not..."

"Don't be a baby, search the skull!"

"Can't you use your telekinesis to search it? Prehaps shake it around a bit in case it's inside?"

Annoyed, Starshine picked up the skull with telekinesis, and even gave it a shake, to which no sound was heard. "Where is the damn key?" Starshine said with frustration while dropping the skull on the tile. The contact of the tile with the skull echoed through the room. Still frustrated, Starshine smacked the skull away, it collided into other tiles along the floor. Starshine's ears twitched at the sound. Something so hard to notice that it would require a lot of concentration.

"What is it?" Flint asked, after noticing her ears twitch.

"Wait a sec." Starshine tapped the tile she was standing on with her claws, then she tapped an adjacent one. Flint actually noticed it this time, there was a slight difference in the pitch of the sounds. Starshine then tapped the other adjacent tiles, all sounding different from the first tile she tapped.

"Um, is that a good thing?" Flint asked unsure.

"A good thing? Hell, this is brilliant, Flint. This one tile is hallow, we may have found the key," using her psychic powers, Starshine lifted the tile with relative ease. Beneath the hallow tile was indeed the key they were searching for. It was brass with three teeth, the front one being the longest.

Both jumped for joy at the sight of the key. "Let's not waste any time, let's hurry and open that door shall we?"

"Indeed we shall. But I'm feeling a little hungry at the moment," Starshine said.

"Well, it's a good thing I found that apple after being propelled into those barrels earlier."

The two left the room and split the apple from earlier. Afterwards the two approached the locked door to the east and brought the key to the hole. It fit perfectly, allowing them to unlock the door and proceed through the dungeon.

"I can't wait to see what treasures await us!" Flint said while trying to subside his excitement.

"I thought you weren't here for the treasure," Starshine said suspiciously to the growlithe.

"Well, no, the main goal is still to get you to Whitestone, but getting a reward on the way is always nice too."

"Why is it you and so many others only care about wealth?"

"Oh hush, you wouldn't understand, Princess."

 _That_ word specifically angered the espeon, "I told you I don't like being called that."

"Stop acting like such a cliché princess from a story, and either way I'm still calling you that since it's your title, Princess Starshine."

It was true, Starshine was a princess, however she didn't like being called one since she didn't like being born into royalty. She was mad at her patents for giving her so much responsibility at such a younge age. Though, age wasn't give much a choice due to a certain incident. Although she didn't want to return to Whitestone, she had to because many lives were at danger. She decided to no longer argue with Flint, but instead continue into the new room before them.

There was a tunnel like corridor that led into a circular shaped room with large rock pillars and a few boulders placed about the room. The room was very spacious and seemed eerie to Flint. Starshine kept a watchful eye on the room looking for anything out of the ordinary, as well as an exit. After spending a good minute searching, she found one. At the far east of the room was a staircase going up that was blocked off by bars.

"Flint, there's the exit, let's go!"

Though Flint was disappointed in not finding any treasure, he was reluctant to find an exit so they could escape the eerie feeling of the room. The two started running towards the stairs. A large figure fell from the ceiling crashing down in front of them before they could even make it halfway. Standing before them was a large, round, rock pokémon. It was none other than a golem, however it looked much different from an average golem. It's rocky shell was a dark black color while its arms, legs, and head were grey in color. Its eyes were a dark red while red fog flowed from the cracks of its rock shell. Both Starshine and Flint were shocked by the sight of the evil looking golem.

The golem didn't hesitate to attack as it stomped its foot into the ground causing rocks to fly towards the two smaller pokemon. Both barely dodging by jumping to the side.

"What are we gonna do?" Flint panicked.

"The only thing we can do, we're gonna fight. I need you to distract him... or her."

"On it," Flint said while getting into a battle stance. As before he generated heat with his heat sacks and mixed it with his spit and oxygen to create a fire, this time instead of making a fire ball, he created a steady steam of fire which was a flamethrower instead. All while Starshine was preparing one of her signature moves. She was building up a radiant energy at her gem and aimed it towards the discolored golem. As she was focused, she shot a thin needle-like aura towards the golem. It pierced its shell which was now softened from Flint's flamethrower. The golem showed no signs of pain but instead readied its next attack.

The right hand of the golem began to glow red as a fire was lit around it and was concentrated in its palm, the left hand built up static electricity eventually causing bolts of lightning to fling around its arm. It let out a deep roar that reverberated throughout the cave like room. Flint and Starshine were caught off guard by the golem knowing fire punch as well as thunder punch, so much so that they didn't dodge the attacks in time. The golem's sizzling right hand collided into starshine's head throwing her all the way to the back of the room against a wall. Then the crackling left hand smashed head on with Flint sending him tumbling into a boulder.

Flint struggled to get to his feet, he looked in the direction of Starshine and saw she was out cold, and part of the fur on her face was charred. Flint's entire face was numb and blood oozed from his mouth, his vision was blurry but he could see the golem was heading his direction. Flint's fight or flight instincts kicked in as he tried to fire a quick fire ball... However nothing came out, it was too painful to even try. Any attempts now were futile...

The black golem looked down menacingly at the helpless growlithe making Flint feel pathetic. The golem's body began to glow white and Flint's eyes widened as he instantly recognized what it was doing.

"No..." He said weakly as the golem continued building up energy to explode. Before the golem did explode, Flint's life began flashing before his very eyes. Memories from when he was just a cub back at home to memories where he began living on his own and making friends. However the memories that were still fresh in his head were those of recent events, now specifically was when he and Rose were traveling to Mardol for the first time...


	2. Chapter 1: New Bounty

**Hello everybody and welcome to my story, 'Reign of Darkness.' as you can see, this is a rated M fanfiction and it's raged M because of the use of language, alcohol, and drugs, along with a lot of gore including torture, lemons (including rape), and possible self-harm and suicide. I understand some of those can be a touchy subject, of you don't like that, then I encourage you _not_ to read.**

 **I realized I forgot to mention that this is a rewrite of a story I originally worked on, but because I didn't like the ideas incorporated in it I decided to rewrite it with a slight reimagination of it.**

 **Lastly, as a disclaimer, I do not own anything related to Pokémon, this is just a fictional story a fan decided to write.**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _ **New Bounty**_

Flint sat bored in the back of a wagon overlooking the horizon. The wagon was carrying four pokemon in total and was being pulled by two tauros. Inside the wagon was Flint, an eevee sitting near him on the same side, a butterfree sitting across from the two, and a meowth sitting in the front guiding the tauros. The wagon was pushing through a meadow of tall, yellow, grass. Occasionally a tree would be spotted, as well as a short stone bridge that crossed over thin rivers. There wasn't much for the passengers to do on their trip except talk, eat, and sleep. So, Flint spent most of his time watching the horizon as the wind made the illusion of an ocean of grass.

Flint wasn't alone on his trip, he was traveling with a younge eevee known as Rose. Flint found Rose after stumbling upon her unconscious body in the wilderness. The strange thing about it was she had no idea where she was or how she got there, it only seemed she knew her name and a vocabulary of words, yet nothing of her past. The same day, Flint also discovered she had a sizable bump on her head. He came to the conclusion that Rose was suffering from some sort of brain damage or memory loss and decided to watch over her. Ever since Flint was a younge cub, he had always wanted to help others out, and it was no different when he found Rose.

Flint has known rose for nearly a month now, he's tried to teach her to defend herself throgh combat, but she's too timid to fight. Either way, he still let's the little eevee travel with him, though it was dangerous at times. Flint is what many would call a bounty hunter, he does jobs of various tasks for something of value in return. As of now, Rose and Flint are traveling to a small town, known as Grassroot, for their next bounty. Grassroot is one of the many locations found within the country of Mardol, and this will be their first time traveling there.

"Fliiiint," Rose whined, "I'm boooored," she said while slumping against Flint's backpack full of supplies.

"I am too, Rose," Flint replied in a calm tone, "however, I don't think I can solve your boredom."

"Is there anything fun we could do?"

"Hmm, we could play a game," he suggested.

Rose's mood brightened quickly, "A game? What kind of game?"

"Umm, we could..." Flint struggled to actually find an idea after proposing an idea.

"How about I spy?" The female butterfree sitting across the two suggested.

"What's that?" Rose questioned curiously.

"It's simple, I'll say, 'I spy with my eye, something...' and then I'll say a color, then you have to guess what it is I'm looking at."

"That sounds too easy though..." rose said slightly disappointed.

"Oh it can be challenging at times," the butterfree laughed.

"How so?"

"Here, I'll show you. I spy with my eye, something...hmm, yellow."

"It's the grass..." Rose said in an unsatisfied tone.

"Nope, guess again," the butterfree said with a more cheerful tone.

"What? But the grass is the only thing yellow here," Rose complained.

"Well, that's because it's too noticeable and distracts you from other objects that are yellow as well. See, this game can help with attention to detail. So, try again, and think outside the box a little."

Rose was suddenly more invested into the game and Flint watched curiously to see what she would choose next. Rose looked all around in the wagon, but found nothing. She then liked over the horizon, and then she had a better idea for what the answer was, "I think I've got it now, it's the sun!" She said confidently.

The butterfree was silent and smiled at the younge eevee, Rose was sure she was right this time, "Wrong again."

Suddenly the eevee felt a wave of disappointment, since she was still younge, it felt more devastating for her to fail again after feeling so sure of herself. "What's the answer then?"

"Well, I see your disappointment, so I'll tell you, it's the golden coin on Idwon's head." Idwon was the meowth sitting at the front of the wagon. After hearing the answer, both Flint and Rose were surprised to hear the answer.

Rose was instantly hooked on the game while her and the butterfree played for the next hour or so, while Flint decided to take a nap. Some hours had passed and the sun was now setting over the horizon. Idwon had informed everyone it would likely be two more days until they arrived at Grassroot and that they should be setting up camp for the night. Everyone got out of the wagon and stretched while Idwon took the harnesses off of the two tauros. Everyone then grabbed their gear and started setting up their camp. Flint and Rose had been sharing a tent throughout their small journey, it was comprised of a tarp supported by a stick along with two cushions for them to sleep in; it was simple, yet effective. The butterfree, who's name was Emalra, had a bare bone like tent as well. Idwon and the tauros decided on sleeping outside to watch the sky. After everyone was settled in, Flint helped Idwon make a campfire. Everyone sat around it ready to eat their dinner. The tauros helped themselves to the plentiful amount of grass around them while rose and Emalra chose to eat fresh fruits from nearby bushes. Idwon and Flint decided on eating meat related items, Idwon cooked himself a magikarp fillet while Flint enjoyed cooked machop meat.

Everyone had finished their meals and relaxed by the campfire watching the stars. Rose admired the sight of the thousands of white dots that speckled in the black sky, she felt fascinated by their presence and wished to join them. Throgh the silence of the night, Idwon decided to grab a stringed instrument from his wagon and began to play a tune, "Do you guys have any requests for tonight?" Idwon asked.

"Do you know 'Her Majesty?'" Emalra suggested.

"Ah, yes, a common favorite played in Mardol. That and 'The Sound of Light.'" The meowth cleared his throat as he prepared to sing the song. He started by playing his instrument at a slightly slow temple which gave the mood for the tone of the song.

"Come forth- with thy darkness,

come bring us- your rage,

our light shines- through our soul

Slowly- they egress,

the beast is- freed from its cage,

but you shall- pay the toll,

We will bring you or light

for her majesty- her majesty,

We have come prepared for this fight

For her majesty- her majesty

We have seen the darkest of days,

Now a thousand eyes shall gaze,

The darkness shall fall to their knees,

In the presence of-

Her majesty

Consumed with anger- their eyes are red,

they bring chaos- as well as fear,

They're only goal- is to kill

In our land- they ensure bloodshed,

These are the times- if the darkest year,

But they can't- break our will

We will bring you or light

for her majesty- her majesty,

We have come prepared for this fight

For her majesty- her majesty

We have seem the darkest of days,

Now a thousand eyes shall gaze,

The darkness shall fall to their knees,

In the presence of-

Her majesty"

The group applauded the talented meowth's song as he gave a bow. "That was really good," Rose compliment.

"Heh, I appreciate your words, but I can't compete with the natives of Mardol, those bards are flawless with their singing."

"Have you ever considered becoming a bard?" Flint inquired.

"I have, but I'm too busy with this wagon business, but I do enjoy it, whenever I have freetime I enjoy visiting many taverns just to see the diversity of bards and how unique they are in different locations."

"Well, at least you could do it as back up if things don't go to well with your wagon business."

"Ha, right you are. Well, it's getting pretty late, I'm going to get some sleep. See you all tomorrow."

With that everyone was off to bed, Flint ensured he said goodnight to everyone as he made his way towards his tent. He and Rose made their way inside to their designated cushions: Rose on the right while Flint was on the left side of the tent. Rose was able to see out of the entrance of the tent and was gazing up at the stars, her restless body full of questions and imagination. She began humming the chorus to 'Her Majesty' in an attempt to put herself to sleep.

"Take a liking to that song?" Flint asked on the other side of the tent.

"Yes indeed. It was a lovely melody. Yet, I don't know what it was about..."

"Hmm' it kept talking about the darkness, it sounded like some type of battle. Maybe it's a song that reflects on the history of Mardol. I'm not too sure."

"It was still a great song. I wonder what the other song sounds like, the one Idwon called 'The Sound of Light.' It sounds lovely."

"I'm sure it is, perhaps we could have mister Idwon play it for you tomorrow."

"That would be great," Rose said with excitement yet still trying to stay quiet as not to wake the others who were still sleeping.

"Well, we need to get some rest now little one. Goodnight," Flint said while kissing Rose on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Flint," and with that, the two fell asleep only to wake up the next day.

The sound of kricketune playing music hummed through the morning's sunrise. A thin fog covered the seemingly endless open plain of grass leaving behind fresh dew drops on the blades of grass. Flint had woke up with a silent yawn and stretched his hind legs. Though he was still a little groggy, he knew it was time to wake up and get ready for the mornings trip. Before that though, everyone needed some breakfast. Flint nudged Rose awake explaining to her it was time to wake up and get some food. Everyone met by the campfire and ate their respected food which was the same thing they had for dinner, only this time Flint decided to enjoy eggs instead of some machop meat. After everyone had enjoyed their meals, everyone packed their belongings and hopped on the wagon for another long days trip.

"Did everyone sleep good?" Idwon asked the group. Everyone gave a simple reply that confirmed they had all slept well, "From the looks of it, we may experience a slight storm today, it will stall the trip a bit, but you can expect to be in Grassroot tomorrow around sundown."

"Thank you for the heads up." Flint said, "How bad do you think the storm will be?"

"It's hard to say, I can only see the dark clouds past the horizon, but I don't know much more than that."

"I'm sure it won't be too bad," Emalra said.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

"Mister Idwon, I had a couple of questions," Rose spoke up.

"Oh? What might they be?"

"Their about your music."

"Do ask, I'll be glad to answer them for you," Idwon said with a smile.

"Well, first, I wanted to know what 'Her Majesty' was about," Rose asked.

"Haha, I could tell you one thing little eevee, but the thing is is that I learned the song when I was visiting a small tavern somewhere in Mardol. There were three bards who I remember singing it, there was a teddiursa, a magby, and a skitty. I had them teach the song to me and afterwards, I asked the meaning behind the song. The teddiursa said it was a story to remember a great battle that happened many years ago in which Mardol was outnumbered but succeeded in battle. It seemed likely, but then the magby insisted the teddiursa was wrong and argued the song was actually a symbolism that there is a light inside everything dark. However, then the skitty argued that both were wrong and that the song was actually a gospel song dedicated to praising Xerneas blessing her land and protecting her followers from anything bad. So, what I'm trying to say is, we don't really know what the song truly is about, many people have their own ideas, they could all be wrong, but the way I like to view it is everyone is right. The song is about whatever you think it's about." The younge eevee was amazed with the flood of information she was trying to soak up that she didn't know how to react to Idwon's response, "What do you think it means?" Idwon asked.

"What do I think?" She said confused, "I haven't thought much on what it might mean..."

"Oh that's quite alright. If you do want to try and find a meaning to the song, I have the lyrics written down on a paper in my bag."

Rose gasped with happiness, "I would greatly appreciate that!"

"Here let me find it for you," Idwon began rummaging throgh his bag until he found a journal. He opened to a certain page a presented it to Rose. She was amazed and also confused at what she was looking at, so Idwon decided to explain, "I take it you're confused with these lines across the page with the circles and dots on the line, aren't you?" Rose nodded, "Well, the dots and circles tell me how long I need to sing a specific note while the lines that they are on or between tell me what pitch I song them at. So, basically it helps me know how to sing it."

"Whoa, that's amazing. Could you teach me how to sing this?"

"I'd love to, but I need to steer this wagon. Why don't you try and find your meaning for the song in the meantime."

"Alright, thank you!" And thus, Rose began to dissect the song and try to decipher her own meaning for it. She began with the first line, 'come forth with thy darkness,' Rose read to herself, 'hmm, what does that mean? I don't know what come forth means, but from how this sentence looks, it's like the writer is saying come forward with your darkness. But who's darkness is it and where are they going to?' Rose's imagination was flowing wildly as she kept on reading and asking numbers of questions trying her hardest to find a hidden meaning.

"So, Flint," Emalra spoke, "why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Huh?" Flint said snapping himself out of his thoughts as he looked away from the horizon, "um, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know, just tell me about yourself, where you're from, about your family, anything really."

"I don't mean this in a rude way, but why do you want to know?"

"Just trying to pass the time," Emalra shrugged.

"Fair enough, I was born in the village of Ashmond from the land of Rakail. I was raised in a growlithe tribe and my father happened to be the alpha male of the tribe, how great that caused some slight confusion early in my childhood."

"How so?"

"Well, my dad took me the day I was born and he was the type to, well, 'share the wealth' if you know what I mean," Flint hinted since he didn't want Rose to hear vulgar language, luckily Emalra understood his point, "so, for a long time I was unsure who my true biological mother was."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Emalra said with sincerity.

"No, it's fine, I eventually found my real mother and spent a lot of time with her as well as my father since he was preparing me to be the next alpha male."

"So what happened? Why are you here now?"

"Ehh, I don't want to talk too much about it, but in the simplest way of explaining stuff, I didn't follow a good lifestyle at a younge age, so I eventually was taken away from the tribe in which case I eventually became a bounty hunter for a living."

"That's an interesting little story you have."

"What about you?"

"Well, I too am from Rakail, but I was born in the city of Ironfrost. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yes, very, I did a lot of business there."

"I was part of a small family; a mother, a father, and two brothers. Took my mandatory four years of school and then took advanced schooling in which I learned about government and geography. My plans now are to head to the Forgotten Island."

"The Forgotten Island?" Flint questioned.

"Yes, it's a not so well known geographical location, but it holds even more knowledge about government for me to learn. It's a long process to get there though since I'll need to take a boat from the shore side of Mardol to travel to another landmass known as Zerith. From there, there's a dock up north that can take me there."

"Interesting," the conversion seemed to have stopped there as the two had nothing much more to say. Occasionally Emalra would ask a question and Flint would reply which sometimes would lead to him starting up a new conversation.

Meanwhile, Rose was still reading the lyrics to the song, 'We have seen the darkest of days. I can't quite make out what that could possibly mean. Is the darkest day referring to what's happening right now in the story or a statement that they've seen worse?' Suddenly Rose was startled by a crackling noise erupting throughout the sky, "W-what was that," she said shaking.

"It's okay, Rose, it's just thunder," Flint said trying to comfort her.

"It was scary though," Rose said while curling up under the bench like seats in the wagon.

"Well folks," Idwon began, "looks like it's time to brace for the storm," with that said, he dug throgh his bag and grabbed his blanket to wrap around in. Emalra did the same while Flint gave Rose the blanket to stay warm in.

The dark clouds began hanging over everyone with visible flashes of yellow followed by roaring thunder. Following the cloud were harsh winds along with chilling drops of rain. For a brief second, Flint regretted not taking the blanket, but knew Rose would need it more than himself. The tauros trudged on, going against the wind. The storm wasn't showering mercy, within the next few minutes the rain had picked up and the winds picked up in speed. The dirt tail had now turned to mud as the tauros stomped throgh the mushy surface.

"Idwon," Flint had to yell due to the howling wind and the booming thunder, "are you sure this is safe?"

"Hah! This is nothing my friend, I faced far worse when I one time got caught in a blizzard and had to replace on of my wheels. I assure you, we should be fine."

"Should?" As if on que, lightning struck not too far away startling everyone in the wagon as well as causing Rose to scream and shake in fear. Flint felt bad not knowing how to deal with such a situation, in the past he could usually do something to raise the little eevee's spirits, but the weather was out of his control leaving him only to comfort her. Flint hopped off his bench and peeked under the blanket Rose was balled up in, "Hey, Rose, are you okay?"

"No! I'm scared!" Flint could tell it was true by the way she was shaking. He wasn't too sure how to comfort her, but he decided to give her company. Flint crawled under the blanket next to Rose in which she curled up against him. Flint then did everything in his power to try and keep Rose warm with his body heat, her safety was his priority.

The storm was relentless against the nature around it, blades of grass were uprooted and smacked the others in the face as it was dragged along with the wind. Idwon and the tauros had already lost their blankets to the wind. Emalra was struggling to keep her blanket around her and Flint tryed everything he could to prevent his blanket from drifting away. The wind then ripped their blankets away from them and they dangled onto the ground and continued flying away. Flint looked around the wagon, but was unable to find Rose. He was alarmed and then looked in the direction the blankets blew. Sure enough lying in the mud was Rose, who was struggling to run through the clumpy mess. Flint did the only thing he could think of and jumped off the wagon and ran to save her.

"Flint!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry Rose, I'm here to save you," Flint grabbed Rose and flung her on to his back. The wagon was slowly growing further away so Flint had to race back to it. He ran and he struggled against the thick squishy mud. Every step pushing his exhaustion further. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, a bolt of lighting struck near the wagon, shattering the rear left wheel into hundreds of pieces. Idwon and Emalra were alarmed, as were the tauros. Flint had finally reached the wagon and observed the damage; the wagon was now immobile, too much had been removed for the spare wheel to replace the damage.

"What are we going to do now?" Rose asked worried.

"I didn't think it would come to this," Idwon began, "but we're going to have to use our alternative idea."

"What would that be?" Asked Flint.

"Grab the items you need, and meet with the tauros. Since we don't have a wagon holding them back, they should be much faster now."

Everyone grabbed their belongings, Emalra had some sort of bag she carried that only had one strap, Flint had his bag that had shoulder straps and a waist strap, while Idwon had to make a choice between three large sacks since he could only take two. Idwon made his decision and used a blanket in a way it hung the sacks from the sides of one of the tauros and made a comfortable area to sit. The tauros sat low in the grass for everyone to climb aboard. Flint helped Rose onto their tauros as he then jumped up onto its back. Idwon took the other tauros while Emalra flew to join him.

Idwon let out an audible whistle and the tauros were off, they were incredibly fast, so much so that Flint and Rose nearly lost their balance. The tauros raced head to head with each other at a blinding speed to their next destination, Flint now wondered how long it would take for the group to reach Grassroot. Idwon said the would arrive at Grassroot tomorrow night at their previous pace, but this was much faster.

"Idwon," Flint yelled to get his attention, "how long will it take us to get to Grassroot now that we're traveling at a greater speed?"

"It's hard to say," Idwon admitted, "if I were to guess though, I would assume possibly tonight." Flint was delighted to hear that, knowing he would arrive earlier than expected. Now he could get a start on his next bounty sooner.

Then another thing bugged Flint, it was the tauros. He didn't know much about the two, he didn't know their names, he hasn't even heard them speak now that he thought of it. He wasn't sure how to ask about it without it sounding weird, then he decided on an idea, "Hey Idwon, how'd you met these tauros?"

Idwon didn't answer immediately, Flint noticed he had a look of concern, "That's a question for another time..." Flint felt a little guilty though he was unsure what was wrong. He decided to leave it at that though.

No one else spoke throgh the rest of the trip. The group had been traveling for hours now and had long passed the storm. It felt good to see and feel the sun again, thogh it was already beginning to set. A new view had been added to the landscaping, Flint had noticed a large mountain range that spread from east to west. It was good news for Flint since he's been told Grassroot was located next to a mountain.

Then, before they knew it they were there, they had finally reached Grassroot. It was a fairly small town, as they approached it from the outskirts they noticed a farm that was growing various produce and was being tended by a chikorita. The city was circled by a short stone wall. The city was notably split into sections. One area was for housing, there was a market place, a town square as well as a town hall. The tauros had stopped just outside of the city.

"So," Idwon began, "here you are Flint, take care of yourself, as well as Rose."

"I will, thank you Idwon. This is goodbye I take it?"

"It undoubtedly seems so, but not all goodbyes are forever. Instead, I shall say see you around friend."

"What are you guys going to do now?" Flint asked curiously, "Now that your wagon is gone and all?"

"Heh, bit of a bummer I suppose. I don't have the means of acquiring a new one yet, so I might take your advice and try out the bard life for a little."

Rose instantly remembered she had forgot to ask a question a while ago, "Idwon, I almost forgot, you never showed us the song 'The Sound of Light.'"

"I would of loved to of sang it to you Rose, but the thing is is that I don't know the lyrics nor the language for the song."

"The language?"

"Yes, the song is not sung in the pokemon language but is instead sung in Avarian western, which is the western modification of Avarian."

"As if learning regular Avarian was hard enough," Flint said, "I tried learning Avarian, but the conjugation rules began to annoy me. I do need to ask though, what is the difference of Avarian and Avarian western?"

"Well the main difference is they removed the Avarian letter 'yan' which made the long and short 'u' sounds which lead to the rewriting of the Avarian dictionary, but for the western regions only."

"Yeah, that's just too confusing." Rose was even more lost than Flint, she was unaware there was different ways of speaking and was oblivious that there where languages of words she was incapable of comprehending. "Anyway, where shall you be going, Emalra?"

"Well, from here, Idwon is going to be taking me to Whitestone so I can continue my journey to the Forgotten Island that I told you about."

"Well, best of luck on your travels, to the both of you."

"Thank you Flint, good luck on your bounty, may Arceus protect your soul."

"Hopefully our paths meet again," Flint said with a nod of his head.

The group said their goodbyes and then the tauros left carrying Emalra and Idwon with them. Rose and Flint were now alone in a town they were unknown to. First thing first, Flint wanted to clean them of the mud that clumped in their fur. Flint found a water spout, he first helped Rose clean herself and then he cleansed his fur. Flint then died them off with a rag he had in his backpack.

Flint rummaged throgh his bag in search of a specific item, there he found a paper. Not just any paper, the paper happened to be the bounty Flint picked up. He began reading it, in it there were specific instructions that there was a tavern in the town hall they were to meet at. Flint stuffed the bounty in his bag and escorted him and Rose to the town square. Though it was fairly late at night, the town was still pretty busy, then again Flint remembered it was the weekend, so pokemon would usually stay up later. There were lots of places to go to, there was a blacksmith forge that was closed for the night, an alchemy shop that was drawing attention, a triangular shaped chapel that was closed, and lastly there was a large tavern.

"That's the place," Flint said to himself, "the Rusty Bucket," Flint and Rose walked up to the busy tavern, laughter and music could easily be heard outside and Rose gave a questionable look to Flint. "Stay close Rose, I already don't like this place," he didn't need to tell her twice, Rose stayed as close as possible to Flint, and because of her small size, she was practically unnoticeable.

Flint walked throgh the entrance and found himself in a rowdy place, there was way too many pokemon for Flint to count. There was a band playing on the stage while various pokemon were dancing around. Some were busy drinking various liquids and laughing with friends. His instructions were to go to the back room and find the large round table. Flint pushed his way through the crowd and somehow managed to make it to the next room. The other room had poker tables and smoke booths as well as the large table that was mention in the bounty. There were two pokemon at the table, there was a pansear who looked like he had possibly too many drinks. The pansear was talking to a nervous looking amaura who had a fake smile. Flint looked over his letter again, he was instructed to go to the table and say 'the moonlight carries the fight.'

Flint walked over to the table unsure who to talk to, but decided to just say the phrase since he was already there and was being stared at by the occupants of the table, "Umm, the moonlight..." He searched his head to remember the phrase, "...carries the fight."

Suddenly, the amaura switched to a serious face and shoved the drunken pansear away who was too drunk to get up afterwards, "You're her for the bounty?" She said with a whisper.

"Yes, me and my partner," Flint said nodding to Rose it was okay to come out now.

"My partner and I-" the amaura corrected, but then stopped after seeing Rose, "Is that an eevee?" She said with surprise.

"Umm, yeah, so it appears," Flint said with sarcasm, "is that a problem?"

"It's just, over never seen an eevee before, and I thought no more eevee existed. Anyway, this is your partner? She's just a kid."

"I'm protecting her."

"By taking bounties and talking her across the world to dangerous areas?"

"Look, it doesn't matter right now."

"Fine. I hope there's more than just you two..."

"Yes, I'm sure somone else had to of noticed the bounty."

"I hope more people noticed, we're going to need plenty more for this mission. Oh, by the way, I'm your client, Aurora."

"Hello, I'm Flint, and this is Rose."

"Please, take a seat," Rose and Flint took their seats, "we'll wait until midday tomorrow."

"I take it we'll be staying here?"

"Yes, this tavern also serves as an inn."

Emerging from the crowd and into the room were two pokemon heading to the large table. There was a mareep wearing a backpack who was walking next to a fennekin who seemed overjoyed and also smelt like cinnamo for some reason. The two arrived at the table, the mareep cleared his throat preparing to speak, but the fennekin interrupted, "The moonlight carries the fight," she said very fast to the point it almost sounded like gibberish.

"You two are here for the bounty?"

The mareep was ready to answer, but the fennekin interrupted again, "Yes! That's exactly why we're here," the mareep gave her a stern look.

"Well, welcome, I'm your client, Aurora."

The mareep was ready to talk, but was once again interrupted by the fennekin, "Hello! I'm Kindle, and the mareep is my friend, Tesla."

"So, where is everyone from?" Aurora asked.

Tesla was expecting Kindle to interrupt and used his paw to shut her up by forcing it in front of her mouth, "We're from Rakail," he says with the most calm voice anyone had heard.

"Oh?" Flint began, "What part? I'm from Rakail as well."

"More of the southern area, Arenth to be exact. Who are you by the way?"

"My apologies, this here is Rose, and I'm Flint. I'm from Ashmond."

"Ah, I see. So," Tesla then directed towards aurora, "as our client, what is it that needs to be done?"

"Well, your mission is simple, you four shall be escorting me to Whitestone."

"Wait," Flint said, "that's it?"

"Yes."

"Why do you need this many pokemon to escort you?"

"Two reasons. The first reason is that on my travels over here, my team was ambushed by a group of bandits, and I'm the soul survivor. I wanted bounty hunters to escort me to ensure the safest of travels. As for the second reason, due to how off schedule I am, we'll be making a shortcut through one of the mountain's cave."

"Off schedule for what exactly?" Tesla asked.

"Follow me real quick, it's best to not say this with other ears around," with that, Aurora hopped from her chair and headed towards the previous room while everyone followed behind. She headed up a set of stairs that brought the group in a hallway that contained many doorways. Aurora turned left and headed to the end of the hallway and approached the doorway to her right. Pulling out a key, she unlocked the door and opened it welcoming the others inside.

The room was quaint, there was a small bed with a chest underneath it and a nightstand on the side with a candle atop it. There was also a window that was lined with white curtains, as well as a brown rug. Flint, being the last one in the room, shut the door behind him while Aurora pulled the chest out from under the bed and used a key to unlock and open it. She first pulled out a rectangular object that was wrapped in a dark brown paper and had a red candle wax seal on it, the seal containing an image of some sort of fox like pokemon head.

"This is what I'm off schedual for," Aurora said.

"A package?" Inquired Tesla.

"This isn't any package, the nintales seal indicates it's for governmental purposes only. In case you're unaware, Mardol has been ruled by queens and kings for ages. I was sent by her highness to retrieve this package and hand deliver it to her."

"I see," Flint began, "this object you have is of high importance. Something of this high of value would amount in an equal reward, yes?"

"Yes, your rewards will be granted once we reach Whitestone, and I'll talk with the princess and put in a good word for you all."

"The princess?" Kindle asked, "I thought this was for the queen and king."

"Well, it would be, but the princess was passed the crown after the passing of her mother."

"Aww, that's sad... and, what of the king?"

"We don't talk about the 'king,'" Aurora aside with slight bitterness.

"So, why exactly do you trust us?" Asked Tesla, "How do you know we won't easily turn against you and steal this item from you?"

"I don't... but you guys are all I have left, my time is running thin, I'm out of options, and even if you were to turn on me, I'm well protected."

"What do you mean by that?" Flint asked.

After setting the package back in the chest, Aurora then pulled out a necklace that had a silver chain with blue, oval, gems that sparkled. "This is a special made necklace. Only royal guards of the princess are given these and require a vigorous amount of training to get one in the first place."

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Asked Tesla.

"You'll just have to trust me like a trust you. So, we'll leave midday tomorrow, be ready. I suggest you all get yourselves rooms before they're all gone, the cost three bronzin."

With that, everyone exited the room. Flint and Rose headed downstairs to purchase a room. Behind the counter in the tavern was a spinda wearing a bow tie.

"How may I help you sir?" He asked.

"I need a room for the night," Flint said while setting three bronzin on the counter. Bronzin coins are a thin brown coin made up of bronze, they are circle in shape and have a hole in the center of them for the purpose of using a thick string to hold your currency. The spinda swept the coins into a bag and opened a drawer pulling out a key with the number seven engraved into it.

"Here you are sir, room seven. Head right upstairs and it will be the second door on your left. Flint took the key and headed towards his room for the night. The room had the same design as Aurora's. Flint set his backpack next to his bed and flopped onto the bed. It had been a long day and he was finally ready to rest.

"Flint?" Rose said while climbing on the other side of the bed, "How long will this take?"

"I'm not too sure. Possibly a few days, why do you ask?"

"No reason, just curious..." she lied. The truth was that Rose didn't enjoy doing bounties with Flint and she wished they could just stay in one city so she could grow up there and make friends.

"Alright, well, goodnight Rose," Flint said while curling up under the blanket.

"Goodnight."

Meanwhile, sitting on the mountain was a bipedal pokemon overlooking Grassroot. It was holding makeshift binoculars and spying on the tavern, its focus mainly on Aurora's room. 'I won't fail at stealing it the next time...' It thought while putting its binoculars in its backpack in which the figure then swung over their shoulder to wear, 'you may have reinforcements now, but you're still weak and vulnerable. I guess I'll be seeing you shortly,' it then walked away from Grassroot and disappeared into the shadows of night.

* * *

 _ **Well, I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of the story. Also thank you to all of those who have favorited, followed, and reviewed the story, I appreciate it.**_

 _ **Anyway, that's all for now, see you all next chapter.**_


	3. Chapter 2: Silver Obelisk

_**Chapter 2**_

 ** _Silver Obelisk_**

The cold darkness filled the room and sounds of an agonizing scream echoed through the underground chamber. Lighting was scarce, the air was damp, and a moldy smell lingered. Rusty metal cages hung from the ceiling swaying gently from their brittle chains. Withering pokemon were confined within the cages. Below them were plenty of stalagmites that were freshly sharpened awaiting an unfortunate victim to fall into them.

Throgh a tunnel walked one of the many krookodile guards. He was dragging a scraggy behind him. The scraggy was gnashing is teeth in pain wile a visible trail of blood was left behind from were its left arm used to be. Another krookodile guard noticed him and used a windlass to lower an empty cage. With haste it then unlocked the door and opened it for the other. As the previous guard reached the cage, he forcefully slammed the scraggy in the cage against a wall and spat on it before walking away. The door was then shut and locked, then hoisted back to its original position.

All of the other prisoners watched in pity at the sight of the scraggy who was bleeding out slowly. All except one. A poochyena was sitting in his cage almost lifeless, staring blankly at the wall. He seemed not to care anymore, there was nothing left for him to live for in life, so why would anything matter to him? The same krookodile from earlier entered the cavern again and ordered the other one to lower the poochyena's cage. He did so after lowering it and unlocking its door.

"I've been waiting to deal with you, pest," the krookodile said bitterly.

"..." the poochyena said nothing and showed no emotion towards the guard. The krookodile then grabbed him from behind the neck and flung him out of the cage causing him to skid and tumble against the rocky surface of the cavern floor. The poochyena winced knowing some of his skin had been pulled off, but still, he didn't care.

The krookodile escorted him through a dark tunnel. The darkness didn't matter to dark types since they could naturally see in the darkness without the use of lighting. They kept walking until the came across a metal doorway. The krookodile slammed his first against it to knock on it. The door opened slightly and once the pokemon on the other side saw the other two, it opened the door for them to enter. A cacturne escorted the poochyena and krookodile into the room, a single torch lit up the room. Other than that, the only other object in the room was a square table in the back corner. The cacturne shut the door and locked it.

"You know why you're here, don't you Nightfang?" The krookodile asked the poochyena known as Nightfang. Nightfang chose to stay silent which only irritated the krookodile, "Answer me you bitch!" He was still silent with his eyes towards the ground. The cacturne, displeased with his silence, smacked Nightfang across the face with his prickly arm throwing Nightfang into the wall.

"Feel like talking now, traitor?"

Nightfang struggled to stand on all fours at first. Blood gently flowed from the open wound on his right check. He finally decided to speak after taking a breath, "Go to hell."

"How cute," the krookodile said then decided to grab Nightfang by the throat and slam him into the wooden table shattering it into many pieces.

"You can make your pain stop of you tell us what we need to hear," the cacturne told Nightfang, who was having a hard time breathing after the wind was knocked out of him.

After breathing air normally again he replied, "That's a damn lie. I'm not going to tell you anything, nothing good will come out of it. You think you can get the answers out of me, but I'm not saying a damn thing."

"It'd be in your best interest to tell us where that gem is or else I'll slaughter you," the krookodile threatened.

Nightfang laughed, "Do humor me more. If you kill me, then you'll never find the gem. I did the world a favor by disposing it, you're all too blind to see what type of chaos you're all about to unleash with that in your possession."

"Your words are meaningless to us, traitor, you're trying to device us of what is just. You call it 'chaos,' but lord Tenebris himself said it's mass natural selection for the good of our god, and if you can't see that, then you're a bigger fool than we thought."

"Why can't you all get it through your thick skulls that your being lied to-"

"Enough!" The cacturne interrupted, "You're wasting precious time, the beatings shall continue until you tire out or until we get our answer for what you did with the gem."

"I already told you I disposed of it!"

"Ha! Do you take us for folks? Even we know an artifact like that can't be destroyed, especially by you. So, I think it's time for the beatings to continue until the truth seeps from your tongue," with that, the cacturne punched upward at Nightfang's stomach sending a burning pain through his body as he flew across the room. The krookodile followed up by kicking up sand which found its way into the newly formed puncture wounds which, in turn, caused a burning pain for Nightfang.

Nightfang usually considered himself a tough pokemon, but he wasn't sure how much more of the pain he could take. He had to keep reminding himself that pain is temporary and his brain was making it seem worse than it actually was. Also, he could tell the two were just getting started.

* * *

It was a bright and new day for the little town known as Grassroot, inside the local tavern, Flint and Rose found themselves finally awakening from a long healthy rest. Flint was double checking his backpack to ensure he had enough supplies for Rose and himself. He also decided to see how much coins he had left in case he needed to buy anything. He had three ropes, one for each type of coin. On the first string he counted ten bronzin. On the second, he had six coins that were a shiny grey in color and triangular shaped; these were known as silvin in most lands, and triton in other areas. One silvin is equivalent to three bronzin. The final string consists of three gold coins shaped like pentagons; these were known as pentra. One pentra is equivalent to five silvin or fifteen bronzin.

Meanwhile, Rose was looking around the room as if she had lost something, Flint noticed and asked, "What are you looking for, Rose?"

"The song! I can't find it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The journal Idwon lent me with the song lyrics in it. I can't find it."

"I don't recall you bringing it with you to the tavern," Flint noted.

Rose then traced her memories and realized she hadn't brought it with her, she didn't even have it when they arrived in Grassroot, "Well if I don't have it, then where is it?"

"I'm sure Idwon has it, but he and Emalra are already long gone by now."

"But I was the last person that had the book, I don't remember giving it back to Idwon. The list time I remember having it was..." she stopped and realized, "I must of lost it during the storm!"

"Rose, calm down, it's okay," Flint says trying to calm her.

"No it's not. It was Idwon's song book. What is he going to do now without the book? How mad will he be when or if I see him again? Also, how will I learn 'Her Majesty' now?"

"Rose, it's okay, we can have another bard teach you the song when we arrive at Whitestone."

"It's not the same," Flint was confused when he saw her emotion quickly change from worried to saddened as a tear flowed from her eye down her cheek.

"Rose? Are you okay?" Flint asked

"No I'm not," she said while flopping onto the bed and crying into the blanket. Flint had no idea why she had this sudden change in mood, she had never acted like this previously.

He was unsure what he could possibly do to cheer her up in a situation like this. He was taken away from his thoughts as his stomach grumbled, "Uh, hey Rose, do you want to get some food?"

Again her mood change, this time she seemed really happy, "Yes please! What are we going to eat?"

"We'll have to see what they serve. Come on, let's go downstairs and see what's available."

Flint put his backpack on and headed downstairs with Rose. Flint was happy to see the party had died and it was less crowded than last night. A few pokemon had fallen asleep at their table, and the spinda was still serving drinks to two pokemon at the counter. Flint turned in his key to the spinda and made his way to the back room to sit at the large round table. He figured he might as well wait for the others there. Rose and Flint each found themselves a chair and waited for a waitress. Eventually, a kirlia walked out from the kitchen area walking towards the two.

"Good morning," the kirlia greeted, "what could I get you two this morning?"

"What do you guys have?" Rose asked.

"For food, since it's breakfast, we have cereal, pancakes, and eggs. For beverages, we have water, milk, and an assortment of juices and brew."

"I'd like pancakes please, with orange juice," Rose said.

The kirlia made a mental note of the order then turned to face Flint, "And for you handsome?"

Flint pushed the slight flirt of the kirlia aside and said, "I'd like to get two eggs and a water please."

"Sure thing," she said with a wink and walked off to prepare the meals.

After she left, Rose couldn't help but ask, "Flint, why did she call you handsome?"

"Well, she was slightly flirting with me," Flint explained.

"What does flirting mean?"

"Huh, it's kinda hard to explain, but basically the kirlia was attracted to me and was trying to get me to feel the same way."

"Gross," was all she said.

"Yeah, but that's adult life, I won't be surprised if you start liking boys sometime soon."

"Eww, no way."

Flint suddenly started realizing something. The sudden mood changes where the first sign. Flint hadn't known for sure what Rose's age was, but assumed she was still a child, but real close to being a pokemon equivalent of a teenager. What he didn't realize until now was that the mood changes could be the first sign of her maturing meaning she might go into heat in the near future. He wasn't sure how to prepare Rose for that, nor how to inform her about it.

After a reasonable amount of time had passed, the kirlia returned with a platter containing the ordered food. She placed the pancakes and orange juice in front of Rose, and placed the eggs and water in front of Flint. The both thanked her as she walked away. The two enjoyed their meals in silence, before they finished, they noticed Tesla and Kindle were approaching the table. Tesla looked really tired, while Kindle seemed as happy as could be.

The duo found themselves a chair and sat themselves at the table now joining Rose and Flint. Tesla practically feel asleep at the table while Kindle decided to greet the others, "Good morning you two!"

"More like good mourning..." Tesla mumbled.

"Good morning, um," Flint struggled to remember the fennekin's name.

"Kindle," she reminded him happily.

"Right, Kindle. Sorry, I'm kinda bad at remembering names, I usually have to say it a few times to remember," Flint admitted while drinking the last of his water.

"That's fine," she said with a smile.

"So, what's wrong with him?" Flint said directed at the mareep.

"Oh, Tesla? He's fine, just tired."

"I wouldn't be so tired if you weren't so rowdy at night," Tesla protested. Before the two could argue more, the kirlia from before stopped once again at the table.

"May I get you two anything?" She asked Kindle and Tesla specifically.

"Yes I would love some cereal with fresh strawberries," Kindle said.

"Okay, which cereal would you like?"

"Hmm, how about some maple flakes."

"Sounds good," the kirlia said while mentally writing it down, "and how about you handsome?" She said directed towards Tesla.

Feeling a little weird, he didn't answer immediately, "Uh, I'll just have coffee for now, light cream, no sugar."

"You got it," with a wink towards Tesla she walked off to take Rose and Flint's empty plates.

"How much do we owe you for our meal?" Flint asked.

"For you, it'll be one silvin," she said with yet another wink. Flint paid her the necessary price and she walked off with the dishes while the others awaited their orders.

"So," Flint started trying to start a conversation, "how did you and Tesla meet?"

"Well," Kindle began, "we didn't meet on the best of terms. To make a long story short, Tesla found me in an area I want supposed to be in and threw me in the streets."

"That's awfully vague."

"That's because she's barely telling you anything," Tesla jumped in, "What she isn't telling you is that she used to be a theif. She was good at getting inside anything locked as well as stealing valuable items."

"Which I then turned around and sold them for more than they were worth," Kindle interrupted.

"Anyway, I was working security at a museum, then I heard the sound of glass shattering. The fennekin was trying to steal a diamond located on top a tower made of glass, she lost her footing and came tumbling down just like the tower. So I found her, recognizing her from rumors that were spreading. Due to my 'kindness,' instead of fighting or turning her in to the guards, I threw her in the streets and intimidated her with a warning."

"So, how are you two together right now?" Flint asked

"Well," Kindle began, "you see, I was so disappointed in my failure that I drank my depression away at a local tavern for about a week. Afterwards, the owner realized how often I had been there and talked with me and considered I go to the chapel and ask mother mew for forgiveness. I did so, and I felt I was a changed pokemon and decided to visit Tesla the next day," the kirlia had now arrived with their food and drinks and handed them the appropriate items.

"Okay? I still don't see why you two are here though."

"Well, it turned out Tesla was fired from his security job after taking the blame for not handling the situation the beast of ways. So, needless to say, he wasn't too thrilled to see me the next day. But, I told him that I had became a believer in mew and changed my ways. I basically told him I wanted to repay him in a way, so eventually we started accepting bounties and helping out with the community for a while until we eventually accepted this one we're about to do right now today."

"What about you and Rose?" Tesla asked, "Is she your daughter?"

"No, I'm just looking out for her. We're unsure about her parents, I found her in a forest unconscious and decided to take care of her while I do bounties at the same time," Rose looked a little sad, Flint assumed she was sad not knowing her patents. The other two didn't ask any more questions and instead enjoyed their consumables.

After they finished and paid for their meals, Aurora had entered the room and sat herself at the table, "Good morning everyone. I hope you all slept well?" Tesla gave an annoyed look at the happy fennekin who nodded at Aurora, "Well, good, it looks like you've all had something to eat by now, so I suggest we head out now."

"Aren't you going to eat?" Flint asked.

"No, I'll be quite alright," she said while preparing to lead the way, "besides, I've eaten enough food here and the only thing I'm hungry for is adventure."

And thus the group had left the tavern to start their mission. Aurora was the most happy since she had been living in the tavern for some time now. Kindle was happy as usual, while Tesla had neutral emotion. Rose was curious as to what they would find. She had never been in a cave and Flint seemed not to like the idea too much. Nonetheless, Flint was still committed to protecting Rose, no matter what stood in his way.

The trail they followed headed northeast and winded through the mountain cliff. For now though, they were still traveling the plains leading to the mountain tail. There wasn't much for the group to do but observe their surroundings as the ventured towards the cave.

Flint decided to start a conversation, "So, how is the weather like here in Mardol?" He asked Aurora.

"It's fair for the most part, usually clear sky's with light wind. Then again, it is still spring, once summer comes along, it tends to get hot and rain here and there. Winters are harsh the closer you are to the mountains. Nothing too much out of the ordinary."

"How about your neighboring province, Zerith?" Tesla asked.

"Harsh weathers year round. Most notably in the norther most mountains, their swamps, and dense forests. It's best to avoid it all together, especially since Mardol isn't friendly with Zerith occupants."

"Why's that?"

"Well, honestly, we're at war with them at the moment."

Flint nervously looked at Rose. He was already uncomfortable taking her into a cave, but leading her through a country at war was even worse, "Why are you at war with them?" He asked.

"Look, I don't have time to ask all of your questions right now, they're irrelevant right now. If you're really interested in knowing more, you can ask around once we get to Whitestone. For now, just focus on your mission."

Flint didn't like the attitude she used, but knew she was right. They needed to focus on more important things other than a war he wasn't involved in. He just needed to complete his bounty, and continue on with his life.

The path had narrowed once they reached the base of the mountain. The path ahead of them was forged into the rocks, causing walls to force them to follow the path. As they walked towards the entrance of the new path, Aurora spotted something next to the rock walls. Growing from the grass, alongside the wall, was a patch of flowers that had dark red petals with black spots on it, and a yellow center. She picked three flowers and presented it to the group.

"What are those?" Rose asked.

"These are an uncommon flower known as the sun's eye. Most females around Mardol wear them for good luck. As the princess told me, 'it's your light that will guide you through darkness,' whatever that means."

"I think they look pretty!" Kindle exclaimed

"They are, but not as petty as Mew spore, those are so rare, that there's only two known within Mardol."

"What are those flowers for?" Kindle asked curiously.

"We aren't too sure. We're unable to experiment with them due to their extreme rareness. The two that we know about are guarded as we wait for them to pollinate and create more. But, from what we've seen in the past fifty years of observing one, they don't pollinate."

"Whoa, that's incredible. I want to see one now!"

"Well, lucky for you, one of them is in Whitestone. Anyway, I have these flowers to give to you and Rose for good luck."

"What about Tesla and I?" Flint asked.

"I'm sure you too will be fine, we don't have any male good luck charms with us."

Aurora had placed one of the flowers on both Kindle and Rose next to their ears. Afterward, she managed to attach a flower to herself as well.

"Well Tesla," Kindle said while making a cute pose, "how do I look?"

"Usual like most pokemon, with your eyes," he replied sarcastically while avoiding answering what she was actually asking.

"You know what I mean. How does it look on me?"

"It's just a flower," he said nonchalantly.

Kindle frowned at him. The group then made their way throgh the mountain path. Unlike the previous trail, this one was really narrow to where everyone walked in a line. Aurora was leading the way while Flint followed behind her. Rose followed behind Flint who was being followed by Kindle, leaving Tesla in the back of the group. The trail winded like a river all the way to a point that happened to be the entrance for the cave.

"Looks like this is it," Aurora pointed out. The entrance was a hole that naturally formed in the side of the mountain and was a little wider than the trail they traveled on. Wind was emitting from the entrance and there were no visible light sources.

"Are we just going in blind?" Flint asked, "There's no natural light source down there."

"I'm sure we'll be fine, you and Kindle can shoot flames,Tesla can generate electrical lighting, and I'm capable of emitting light as well. Now come on, we don't want to waste too much time."

Not really wanting to argue, Flint followed the amaura into the cave. Rose was sure to stay close to Flint while Kindle and Tesla followed behind. Sure enough, as it grew darker, the fin like appendage on Aurora glowed yellow, providing light for the group to see about a twenty foot radius. At first, the cave started with a decline that descended them into the dark unknowns, which eventually flattened and continued heading north. They were met with a set of rocky double doors as a dead end.

Aurora approached the doors and attempted pushing it open. She struggled, but was unable to make it budge. Flint began pushing in the door to help and even he struggled. Soon the whole group was pushing on the door until it opened, it's heavy base scraping along the rocky ground.

The next room was breath taking, it was a large circular dome shaped room. They were on an island made of rock that was surrounded by water. There were seven other rock islands along the walls of the room, with a larger island in the center. The center island had grass and flowers growing on it as well as a small silver obelisk that was reflecting sunlight off of it. Sunlight made its way through a various holes in the ceiling and provided plenty of light in the room for everyone to see.

"This place is huge," Kindle marveled.

"Where do we go from here?"Flint asked.

"I'd suggest the central island," Aurora suggested.

"How exactly are we going to get there?"

"By swimming, obviously."

"I think you're forgetting that Kindle and I have fire genetics inside us," Flint argued.

"That's a pathetic excuse, swimming in water only harms fire pokemon with exposed flames. All you have to do is avoid drowning in it so it won't extinguish your internal flames."

"That's easier said than done, I'm sure you wouldn't like adventuring throgh a volcano."

"That's a whole other extreme!"

"It's practically the same!"

"Both of you, shut the hell up!" Tesla yelled, "Your both being very childish right now. Just come to a damn agreement instead of wasting precious time!"

"Whatever," Aurora said, "I'm going to that island. If you want to stay here and not get paid, fine by me."

"Fine, let's make this quick then," Flint said.

"Flint," Rose spoke up.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I don't think I... know how to swim..."

"Oh, this is just great," Aurora said, "I knew bringing a kid wasn't-"

"Just shut up, okay? We don't have time to be at each other's throats, I'll carry Rose if I need to. Now let's go."

"I don't think that's a safe idea," Rose said.

"We don't really have any other options right now."

"Don't amaura have ice genetics?" Rose asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Can't she just freeze parts of the water and give us a surface to walk on?"

"Rose, that's a brilliant idea," Flint said with excitement causing her to blush from the attention.

"Yeah," Aurora said, "we can try that. Stand back," she opened up her mouth and shot a bluish white beam at the water which froze on impact. Using the steady beam, she made a bridge of ice from their island to the central one.

"And here you were complaining about Rose being here a second ago," Flint said. Aurora just rolled her eyes as the group walked across the frozen surface that was surprisingly not slippery.

The group found themselves on the grassy terrain. All of them had their attention on the glistening silver obelisk at the center. Kindle reached out a paw to touch it, as it made contact, the room began to vibrate with a low hum. On the northeast, northwest, and southwest islands, new pillars had formed. However, at the southeast island, a large white lantern had formed. The north, east, and western islands had doors that lead to more rooms. Above the northern door was a large spherical glass that had an ancient pattern around it. Above the eastern door was a red gem. Above the western door were blue and a yellow gems.

"Looks like a puzzle," Flint observed.

"Indeed," Aurora replied, "might have something to do with these pillars around the room," at a closer observation, the three pillars all were colored. One red, another blue, and the last was yellow.

"I'd assume that these rooms hold an item we need to unlock the door," Tesla noted.

"What are we waiting for?" Kindle asked, "Let's go!" She said with excitement as she ran towards the western door.

"Kindle! Wait!" Aurora exclaimed.

Kindle halted immediately, just barely falling off the edge into the water. The suddenness of her stop caused her flower to fall off her head and into the water. Is it touched the water, the flower began to corrode almost instantly, "How did you know?"

"I didn't. I was trying to stop you since I can make a bridge with ice. It's a good thing I stopped you though. From the looks of it, we have acidic water here."

Flint was feeling more uncomfortable having Rose here, and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse. He made a mental note not to take her to any more caves. Aurora shot a beam into the water and created another bridge that lead to the western island. They all crossed safely and approached the new door. Carved into it was a tree that bared a variety of fruits. At the top sat two pokemon, one was happily eating a banana, while another enjoyed a blueberry. At the bottom of the tree was a pokemon entangled in roots who was reaching for a apple.

The group then opened the door to see what awaited in the next room. They were amazed with what they saw. A large tree with golden leafs stood before them, sprouting hundreds of fruits. The only unnerving thing was the status of pokemon that were covered in vines with half eaten apples next to them.

In case you guys haven't gotten the hint," Tesla began, "I don't think we should touch the apples."

"Sounds simple enough," Flint replied.

They reached the base of the large tree and found a path carved into the tree. They all followed the path which took them up the tree's trunk. Once they were at a point where the path ended and led to the three's branches, which were more like a maze. The tree branches lead to many more tree branches.

"I say we split up," Aurora suggested, "Tesla and Kindle, you two will travel with each other while Rose and Flint travel with each other. I'll stick with myself. Just try and find anything that looks useful, and once you've found it, just yell to inform the rest. Most importantly though, do not touch the apples."

Everyone complied and separated, Rose and Flint taking the right path, while Tesla and Kindle took the left one, leaving Aurora with the center path. It wasn't easy, and they managed to spend over an hour just barely making it halfway up. Though it didn't sound that far, it indeed was, as the tree was about half the hight of the mountain. Flint and Rose decided to rest a little and snack on some of the fruits. Flint had picked out a couple bananas and blueberries for them to eat.

"Flint?" Rose asked.

"Yes?"

"What do you think of the others?"

Flint wasn't really expecting the question, especially since she'd never bothered to ask the previous times Flint had worked with others, "What do you mean?" He simply asked.

"What's your opinions on them so far?"

"Hmm, to be honest, everyone in the group has a flaw. Aurora tends to think that there's only one way a thing can be done and she's a little bossy, but that's understandable since she is the client. However, I think she should consider decisions with the group first. As for Kindle, she seems too eager, and she's not aware of her surroundings. Just one slip up and she could get us all in a lot of danger. Tesla? Well, he just doesn't seem to care really."

"And what about us? What are our flaws?"

"Us? Well, um. Hmm," he thought, "I'm not too sure, but anyway, I think we've had a long enough break, we should continue searching."

The two them continued throgh the maze made of branches. They faced many dead ends and checked the same areas numerous times, yet they eventually did find their way through. As they climbed higher, the tree branches grew thinner, thus they were more fragile and bended easily. Aurora was out of breath at this point and needed to find a resting point. What she found was a nest made of white twigs, she decided it was the most suitable area to rest.

As she hopped over the nest onto the other side, she saw something that made her freeze. In front of her were three orbs that radiated light and let out an unusual sound similar to that of a whistle, yet almost unnoticeable. Could these be what they were looking for? The the orbs each had a respective color that matched the pillars just outside. Immediately Aurora yelled for everyone, which gave them and idea of where to head. After a few minutes everyone had reached the nest and shared the same excitement as Aurora.

"Don't just stand there, let's grab them and go," Tesla said as he grabbed the blue orb. As he did, the tree shook rapidly and let out a humming sound that had a changing pitch. The leafs rustled violently along with the roaring hum, but just as quickly as it came, it stopped.

"That was strange," Flint said.

"To say the least," Aurora added, "but let's not waste time," as Tesla put the blue orb in his backpack, Aurora grabbed the yellow. Again, the tree shook along with the leafs, and an audible hum was heard.

Aurora had placed the yellow orb in her backpack and Kindle was reaching for the red orb. Flint noticed a banana falling from the tree, he leaned over the edge of the nest to watch it fall. As he did, he noticed the floor was covered in bananas and blueberries. It then hit him what was about to happen, but before he could say anything, Kindle had snatched the red orb.

Nothing happened, there was no shaking of the tree, nor was there any humming sound. Flint thought nothing of it until he heard a popping sound. Then there was another, and another, and another. Soon there were hundreds of popping sounds. He looked over the edge again and saw the apples on the tree bursting.

"Guys, I think we need to get out of here quick!" Flint said.

Before anyone could react, a large cracking sound shot up the entire tree. It was split straight down the center. The group was then separated as the two pieces of the tree stretched from each other. Everyone began racing back down the branches. It was much easier to go down then up as the entire group made it to the base of the tree in five minutes. They weren't safe yet though, they still needed to escape.

The group began running for the door, Rose had caught her hind paw in the grass causing her to trip. Flint didn't hesitate to stop and go back for her. He was quickly by her side and flung her on his back like he had done during the storm. He then charged for the door with all his might his legs could give him. Suddenly, a vine uprooted itself from the ground and grabbed onto Kindle.

"Help!" She cried, trying to escape the snare, but to no avail.

Flint then thought it had something to do with the red orb, "Kindle, get rid of the orb!"

"Are you crazy?" Aurora asked, "We need that orb, go in there and save her!" She demanded.

Flint had no time to argue and Kindle didn't seem to be complying either. Flint set Rose by the door and then ran back to save Kindle. As he reached her he saw the orb. He used his momentum to then kick the orb away from her. Almost instantly, the vines stopped attacking Kindle, and instead focused on the orb. The two of them then hurried back to the entrance.

"What were you thinking?" Aurora said, "We needed that orb."

"We'll get the orb," Flint interjected, "I just saved her life."

"Yeah, at the cost of losing the orb to help us get out of the cave."

"I don't care what it costs to get out of here, or how long it takes, everyone on this team is important."

"Nevermind your argument guys," Kindle said, "Flint, how did you know what to do?"

"Well, it happened after Aurora took the yellow orb, I saw a banana falling from the tree, and as I observed it fall, I noticed the ground was littered in bananas and blueberries. That's why that tree and leafs were shaking, it was shaking off the fruits. Also, it seemed the fruits were color coated, so as soon as you were going for the red one, I immediately remembered the apples. Anyway though, to make it all short, since taking the red orb angered whatever was in there, I felt forgetting it was a better idea."

"Wow, that's awesome," Kindle said, "thanks for saving me back there."

"What are we going to do now though?" Aurora asked 'Without a red orb, we're stuck her."

"Not quite," Tesla said, "the eastern door probably holds the red orb. If you look above the doors, it tells you what you're looking for. For instance, this door has a blue and yellow gems above it."

"Whatever, let's just take these orbs to their pillars."

Aurora built another icy bridge that lead to the southwestern island which is where the blue pillar was. Tesla grabbed the orb from his bag and placed it at the top of the pillar. The orb itself radiated even brighter, then, in a blink of an eye, it shot a blue beam towards the silver obelisk. A blue aura enveloped the obelisk now. The group then made they're easy to the northeast island, which is where the yellow pillar was. Aurora placed the yellow orb on it and it repeated what the other orb did. A yellow beam shot towards the central obelisk, this time the two auras mixed and created a green aura around the silver obelisk.

"That's fascinating," Kindle exclaimed.

"Yes," Aurora rushed, "now let's hurry, the last orb is over here." She said while building a bridge to the eastern island.

The group had crossed the bridge and found themselves at the next door. The carvings in this door were different from the previous one, this door had a scale on it. On the left side was a pokemon, a circle on the right. The scale was leaning on its left side.

"Before we enter," Flint said, "I want Rose to stay out here."

"What?" Rose said, "Why?"

"Because, I don't feel safe with you in this cave."

"Did you feel safe dragging me into all of your other bounties?" She said with a little bit of an attitude in her voice.

Flint flinched in the way she responded, "Of course not, I've always wanted to keep you safe."

"Then why? Why do we do all of these bounties? You're putting both of our lives in danger. If you die, who's going to look after me?"

Flint didn't want to admit he never thought of that 'what if' scenario. It never once crossed his mind of him possibly dying. He has been selfish, risking their lives for a few coins, "I'm sorry..." He finally said, "This is the last bounty I'll drag you into."

Rose didn't answer. Flint could tell she was upset. Why hasn't she told him soon was all he could think about. He didn't know what other dangers awaited them in the cave, but he now had a wave of guilt cover him knowing he had forced Rose into all of these bounties without ever considering how she felt.

"I'll stay here with Rose," Kindle spoke up, "I'll more than likely get in the way again anyway. So it's probably best."

Tesla and Aurora agreed and headed towards the door with Flint. The three of them opened the door with ease and headed into the next room. As they entered, the door behind them shut. There was a platform in the room that was just barely the entire size of the floor, it wasn't touching the walls except for two round areas found at the east and west side of the room. In the middle of the platform was the red orb.

Aurora decided to take the first step on the platform. She crossed the rounded area onto the platform, after confirming it was safe, she beckoned for Flint and Tesla to follow. Tesla was the next on the platform, he decided to walk to the right of Aurora. As soon as he did, he started to slip and noticed the platform was rotating.

"Shit," Flint said, "it's on an axis."

"What does that mean," Tesla said while repositioning himself in the center.

"It means the platform is going to lean to whichever side has more weight."

"Son of a bitch."

"It's okay, let's just think about this. Mareep aren't too heavy, so it's not too bad if you go to the side. However, amaura are heavier because of their rock genetics. On average, I believe growlithe are close to the same weight as an amaura."

"Instead of over thinking this," Aurora said, "let's just have one person on the platform. The orb is already aligned with the axis, so we don't need to worry about it rolling anywhere."

"Good idea," Tesla said, "I'll go back, and you grab the orb."

Almost just as easy as it was to say, Aurora gently walked to the orb and grabbed it. They then all easily made their way out of the room to meet up with Kindle and Rose. The pillar they needed to turn the orb to was located on the northwestern islands. Aurora built what she had hoped was the last ice bridge to get over to the island.

She took her orb and placed it on top. Similar to the pervious pillars, it lit up and shot a beam at the central obelisk. As the red mixed with the other two auras, the three of them created a white aura. Relieved, the group headed back to the center island to inspect the obelisk.

"What do we do now?" Kindle asked, "we have all of the orbs, but the last door isn't opened."

"Maybe it has something to do with the lantern?" Tesla suggested.

"I'll go see," Aurora said while heading towards the lantern with a new icy bridge, irritated at having to create another.

She inspected the lantern, but saw nothing that gave a clue as to what they needed to do. Flint was observing the aura that was glowing in a white obelisk. He didn't know why, probably curiosity, he decided to touch the aura to see how it felt. He felt as if his entire body was filled with air, he even felt numb to a point. He instantly retracted his paw from the obelisk. The top of the obelisk then shot two beams from it. The first was sent towards the lantern, the second shot the large glass sphere above the northern door.

The beam that hit the lantern caused the lantern to collapse revealing a mysterious item. Aurora observed the new object, it was a golden staff like item, with a black glass sphere at the tip. Not needing to think about it, she shoved it on her bag and regrouped with the others.

"You okay?" Tesla asked.

"I'm fine," Aurora responded.

"What happened?" Kindle asked.

"After the lantern collapsed, I found some staff, or something. I suppose it's a reward for solving the puzzle."

"Anyway," said Flint, "looks like the door is opened now. No need to stay here any longer."

The five pokemon made their way to the northern door, behind it was pitch black. Aurora's fin lit up as they all passed throgh the door into the mysterious void. They could hardly see five feet ahead of them, and all they did manage to see was a staircase that continued to lead downward.

The group had then entered a new room, as they did, numerous torches began lighting up. It was another circular room. In the very center of the room was a slab with a hole in it. There were three ring platforms that lead to the slab each with a large towering pillar on them. At the other end of the room was a sealed off door. Standing in front of the door was something no one had been expecting, but of everyone, Aurora was shocked the most.

* * *

 _ **I love cliffhangers by the way**_ _ **.**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm not too creative with puzzles, but I hope you enjoyed the simple one in this chapter. See you all next time.**_


	4. Chapter 3: A Chilling Battle

_**Chapter 3**_

 ** _A Chilling Battle_**

Standing in front of their exit was a weavile with his arms crossed. His face looked bored and he wore a backpack and a dark blue cape that was waving with the light breeze in the room. He was examining the small group, just as they examined him. Aurora was froze in place, she couldn't believe what she was looking at.

"Who are y-" Flint began before Aurora interrupted.

"You," her eyes now narrowing.

"You didn't really think I'd let you escape that easily," the wheavile started, "did you?"

"Wait," Flint said, "you two know each other?"

"Not on good conditions. This weavile is the pokemon responsible for the death of my previous team."

Rose began to grow nervous in the presence of the weavile and hid herself behind Flint. Flint was in a defensive position, ready for anything, or so he thought.

"I still want to know who he is," Flint's fur began to stand up a little.

"Don't stick your nose in business that doesn't pertain to you," the weavile said.

"His name is Frostbite, he's one of the royal leaders from Zerith,"

"I don't think it's such a good idea to fight this guy," Kindle spoke up.

"Would you rather him kill us!?" Flint exclaimed.

"What is it you want?" Tesla then asked.

"You kids are all nosey these days," Frostbite said, "always getting involved in other people's affairs. If you all were smart though, you'd probably listen to your fennekin friend of yours."

"Enough of this nonsense," Aurora said, "this is my business, supposedly, so what is it you desire?"

"You know damn well what it is I'm after, the package you are carrying."

Flint then remembered that Aurora was delivering a package, but now he wondered why it was so important to this weavile. Still, he was feeling really uncomfortable, and knew things could get worse in a matter of seconds.

"If you're after the package, then why did you and your group ambush us before I recieved the package?"

"It would of prevented you from acquiring the package, therfore putting Mardol behind in the war."

"And with me dead, how would you have even found the package?"

"Is not that I need the package, it's all a matter of preventing it from reaching princess Starshine." Aurora continued glaring at Frostbite, "However, now that I have you here and the package, I might as well destroy it while it's here."

"Do you even know the severity of destroying the contents inside this package?"

"You can't bluff me, not even _you_ know what's inside there,"

Aurora backed away, knowing Frostbite was right, "Well then, why do you want to destroy it if you don't know what's inside?"

"Simple, if it's so important that the princess needs it as an 'upper hand,' then it needs to be eliminated."

"Then you'll have to take this package from my cold, dead, body!" Flint froze at those words, and he felt the reality hit him. He jumped into a defensive posture while protecting Rose. Kindle and Tesla both prepared for an attack as well.

Frostbite grinned, "Just the words I was waiting for."

The weavile was scanning the room, he observed the location of torches, the pillars, exits, location of rubble and more. He also took a quick minute to observe his opponents, he made a note to be watchful of the growlithe and fennekin, but also noted the young eevee as a vulnerable target. He'd fought the amaura on one other occasion, so he had a general idea of her battling style, the mareep was just viewed as another minor inconvenience for him.

Once satisfied with his quick strategy, he opened to side pouches from his bag. Using his claws, he felt around until he was satisfied what what he was reaching for. He tightened his grip around the objects and launched the projectiles at the group writh an underhand motion. For Aurora, time seemed to slow down as she noticed the familiar objects.

* * *

The amaura was limped her way behind a boulder and slumped against it. He breath was rapid and she was in a slight state of shock. Blood covered her right side, though not her blood, it shocked her to see pokemon die the way they just did.

Another explosion erupted from the other side of the boulder, followed by screams. She peeked over the boulder and saw a kadabra skidding across the ground, only it had no legs, they had been removed from the blast. The kadabra could hardly handle the pain, it yelled in pain wile crawling away from the explosion sight.

A weavile emerged from the thick smoke and approached the kadabra, "tch tch tch, you poor soul," Frostbite said unamused. The kadabra only looked back with tears in its eyes, it had already accepted its fate, there was no use begging for its life since it was already going to die, "don't feel sad, it's not like you had any potential to actually fight in this war," with that, Frostbite shoved his claws throgh the kadabra's back and out his chest.

Aurora gasped, and the weavile reacted by darting his eyes towards the boulder and throwing a red vile towards the rock she was located at. As it came into contact with the rock, flames warped in the area and created an explosion.

* * *

Aurora snapped out of her thoughts and shot a beam of ice at each of the viles heading towards them. They both exploded, leaving a ball of smoke and flames lingering in the air. Frostbite was caught off guard, but knew he had little time to act. Knowing he was obstructed from view due to the smoke, he jumped towards the nearest pillar and prepared another vile. He first double checked the color inside, once he confirmed it was yellow, he lowered himself towards the ground and prepared an ambush. The smoke cleared, and the group was startled with the weavile's disappearance.

"Where'd he go?" Kindle asked while nervously looking around.

"Frostbite is a really strategically fighter," Aurora explained, "he creates two or three initial attacks then strikes, after a bit of fighting and memorizing attack tactics pokemon use, he then goes in for the kill."

"How do you know that?" Tesla asked.

"Like I said, I've already met him on one other occasion, however, what he hasn't realized is that I do the same thing, I learn from my enemy and switch up my tactics too." Aurora began building up energy, she inhaled a deep breath and exhaled a freezing wind that intertwined between the pillars.

The weavile was forced out from his cover. Once in the open he tossed the yellow vile towards Aurora. Aurora was suprised because she only saw red liquids in the viles Frostbite had thrown, even in their previous battle. Nonetheless, she switched from her icy wind attack to an ice beam. Once her beam shattered the glass of the vile, a bolt of lightning recoiled at her and sent her flying backwards into the stairs. The weavile grinned happily as he then charged towards his closest target, Flint.

Flint froze in place as the weavile closed in on him, the weavile took note of the fact. Tesla also noticed that Flint wasn't going to do anything, so he gathered energy in his tail and swung the tail towards the weavile. Frostbite ducked just in time, with Tesla's back turned towards him, he lunged forward with his claws. Tesla had expected this though, before Frostbite could strike, a surge of electricity escaped his body and circuited throughout the weavile causing him to jump back to a safe distance.

"Not bad..." Frostbite said under his breath.

"Flint," Tesla said, "what the hell was that?"

"I-I, uh-" he stammered, "you see, I-"

"Instead of making excuses, why don't you make an effort to fight?"

Rose was petrified behind Flint, Flint turned his gaze to her and switched it back to Frostbite, after letting out a sigh he said, "You're right."

Aurora was now getting up from being assaulted, "What was with the lightning?" She asked, directed at Frostbite.

"When I battled you and your group, I only used my red viles, which as your noticed explode on impact. I have more than just red viles, I also have blue, yellow, green, and purple viles. Each color does a different effect, for instance: yellow contains static electricity, it recoils back at anything that disturbs it."

"And what about the other colors?"

"Heh, wouldn't you like to find out?" He said while grabbing a green one from his bag, he threw it at Tesla since he was the closest.

Flint quickly grabbed Rose and darted away from the area while Tesla jumped back. Once the bottle hit the floor, the glass shattered and spread the green liquid around. The liquid gave off a heat and steam emitted from its surface, it quickly evaporated though. The area that was once covered in the green liquid was now corroded.

"Acid..." Tesla said.

"Good observation, now back to fighting," Frostbite said while jumping towards Tesla.

Tesla gathered electricity in the orb of his tail and watched the weavile carefully. Frostbite swung his claws downward at Tesla who sidestepped and slammed his tail in the ground. A wave of electricity shot from the orb, but only Frostbite was close enough to take damage from it. Kindle and Flint both seemed to have the same idea as they shot embers towards the weavile. Frostbite dodged the burning balls effortlessly.

Frostbite retreated back towards a pillar, 'So,' he thought to himself, 'the mareep so far jumps into battle head first and plans counterattacks. The fennekin, she hasn't done much, but she is getting a hint as to attack from a distance while I'm busy with the mareep. The growlithe though, his focus is the young eevee. That's what his weakness must be. Why aren't you attacking Aurora? It doesn't matter though. I'll have to take them down one at a time, I'll start with the eevee, then the growlithe, head to the fennekin, finish up the mareep, and finish what I started with Aurora.'

Frostbite began sharpening his claws with his claws. Afterward, he grabbed a blue vile, his eyes scanned the battlefield. Everyone was on guard, carefully eyeing his bottle of mystery. Frostbite flipped the bottle in the air, catching it in his right hand, he then threw it towards Tesla and Kindle. The glass shattered at their paws and the blue liquid splashing onto them. Meanwhile, Frostbite used his freetime to charge at Flint.

After Tesla and Kindle were covered in the new liquid, they began to fill dizzy, their vision becoming hazy. Tesla could see Frostbite, but he was only a blur. He began to walk in the direction of the blur but found himself too dizzy to walk straight. After just a couple steps, he had toppled onto the floor.

Flint realized he couldn't just stand there this time, this was a life or death situation. Not just for him, but Rose as well. Flint ignited his flammable saliva and launched a ball of flame towards the weavile, but Frostbite was nimble enough to easily dodge it. The weavile had cocked his right arm back, ready to jab his claws into Flint's soft tissue. Flint had seen his attack coming and he waited for the right moment. Once Frostbite was at a comfortable position, he launched his claws at Flint. Flint decided to sidestep and bite the weavile's arm. He showed no mercy while he dug his fangs into his flesh. Blood trickled down his tongue, but he forced his jaw shut.

Frostbite gave audible sounds of pain, he tried to shake his arm free, but that only tore more of his flesh. Frostbite then used his only other method of escape. Using his other free hand, Frostbite swiped at the growlithe's stomach. Three fresh wounds visibly appeared on his abdominal region, slowly gushing blood. Flint's jaw instantly retracted and he coiled into the ground, attempting to ease the burning pain.

Flint briefly looked back at Rose who was nearly petrified at what she witnessed, "Rose, run!" Was all Flint could say.

She didn't need to think twice, her quick little paws bolted in a random direction as she tried to flee. Instantly, she regretted not running towards the direction of the rest of the group. The weavile dashed after her in hot pursuit. At this point, Aurora was the only capable fighter, she tried predicting where the weavile would be and she tried to time it with the speed of her ice beams. Once content with a final decision, she shot a single frozen beam at the scene of the chase. Rose had hopped over some rubble, but lost her footing as she landed, causing her to trip and stumble. The weavile stood atop the rubble she hopped over, preparing his claws for a final strike. Suddenly, the beam of ice struck the weavile on his shoulder.

Frostbite hadn't noticed it, but the ice had ripped the strap of his backpack that hung over his shoulder. He noticed it after rubbing the bruised area, 'clever...' he thought to himself.

Rose didn't need to think any longer, she got back up on her paws and ran back to Aurora. Frostbite decided not to chase her, instead he began thinking of his next attack. Tesla and Kindle where recovering from their confusion. Flint was slowly bleeding out on the floor, out of reach. Even in his weakened state, he was forcing himself to move, he was still committed to protecting Rose. Rose had now reached the group and hid behind Aurora. Frostbite still had his goal in sight, he need to obtain the sealed package from Aurora, the only thing slowing him down were all of the other distractions.

Frostbite set his backpack on the ground and grabbed another new colored vile, this one was purple. He threw this one towards Kindle and Tesla who both easily dodged the bottle. This vile didn't seem to do anything, all that happened was a pupper mist lingered, they were still cautious not too step inside the area of effect. Tesla's body began cracking with electricity as he expected another attack. Kindle built up a heavy dose of fire in her mouth, ready to launch it. The weavile grinned at her mockingly. She then spat her flame out of her mouth in a constant stream, however, as it came in contact with the purple mist, the mist erupted into a huge ball of flames that backfired on the group. Aurora and Rose had to retreat as not too get harmed by the deadly flames, Tesla and Kindle were not so lucky. Some of Tesla's wool had been charred as he ached on the ground, visible streams of steam rising off of his wounds. Kindle hadn't taken too much damage since she was comprised of fire inside her body.

Frostbite decided to ditch his backpack and strike Flint while he and the others were uncapable of protecting him. The weavile charged at Flint while grinding his claws into the ground, leaving a trail of sparks. Flint's body then burst with newfound power, his adrenaline was kicking in, and he was ready to fight. He was able to ignore his pain, but it would cost him. Frostbite swiped his claws downward while Flint evaded to his right. He bent his legs backwards and sprang at Frostbite with a tackle. He was able to pin Frostbite to the ground, both of his paws on top of one of the weavile's arms.

Flint just stared at him in silence, the weavile trying to escape. Frostbite would struggle to free his arm, but Flint's paws would forcefully shove them back to the ground while digging his claws into his arms. Flint wanted to unleash some type of rage on Frostbite, but he couldn't. It didn't feel right to him. Frostbite didn't know any oral attacks except crunch, so he had no way of fighting Flint off of him. The harder he tried the more tired he became. Eventually the weavile decided to spit in Flint's face.

"Get off of me you fucking mutt!" He yelled in anger.

Suddenly Flint had a flashback of his own:

* * *

Flint's body slammed into the side of a tree, nearly breaking his ribs. He groaned in pain while the world appeared to be spinning.

"Please Flint," another growlithe called, this one being female, "please get up," she cried as a few tears rolled down her cheek that had a fresh would.

"Is that all?" a zangoose said, "I was expecting more from a growlithe with that much determination in their eyes." Flint was panting, struggling to breathe properly, while blood oozed out of his mouth. "Oh well, I'll just continue what I was doing before I was rudely interrupted."

The zangoose turned back to the other growlithe with a devious grin. She tried to escape, but she was grabbed roughly by the zangoose. From instinct, she turned around and dug her teeth into the zangoose's hand.

He yelled in pain before grabbing her head and slamming it against a rock, forcing it down against the hard surface. "You're going to pay for that you bitch." Dripping from the female growlithe's face was a mixture of her tears and blood. She tried her best to free herself, but to no avail, "can't you see its hopeless?"

Flint was beginning to black out at this point, all the fighting had done him in and his body needed a rest from its stress. The zangoose continued to stroke the growlithe's fur with his free hand, he was blind in his actions with his lust and greed. Using his free hand he pleased his extruding red appendage and was ready to guid it into the hole of the growlithe.

In one last desiderate attempt, she tried calling for help, "Flint, please help me!"

His eyes had instantly opened, adrenalin pumping through his body. He was able to gaze at the scene before him and noticed what was about to happen. He quickly charged at the zangoose and lunged at him while showing his fangs. He had tackled the zangoose to the ground and stared into hours eyes.

"Get off me you fucking mutt!" He yelled in anger.

The zangoose was about to strike Flint, but Flint had sank his teeth into the zangoose's neck. His blood drained from his body, and Flint could taste his metallic blood staining the inside of his mouth.

* * *

As Flint stood on top of Frostbite, the familiar, yet unsatisfying, flavor of blood lingered in his mouth. The zangoose was the first pokemon he ever went to such extremes as of killing. He absolution hated the feeling of talking ones life and watching the light fade from their eyes. He shook his head trying to forget the memory. Not exactly the fact that he killed the zangoose, but events that shaped over the next few months. Even though this weavile had harmed them and intended to kill them, Flint didn't want to kill him. He couldn't just leave him there either.

Flint then proceeded by slamming his head into the weavile's head. Flint instantly clutched his head after recieving a shock of pain. Frostbite used this to his advantage, he got back up on his feet and prepared another claw attack. What he hadn't noticed was that Tesla had already ran into the battle. With a backwards spin, Tesla used the moment of his tail to ram his orb into Frostbite's stomach. Frostbite was sent skidding along the ground to the center of the room.

'This is taking longer than it needs to be,' Frostbite complained to himself, 'I'm low on time too. Guess I'm going to have to cut it short. It's now or never if I'm going to go for the package.'

This time he decided to ignore the others as he charged directly at Aurora at a high speed. Kindle braced herself and shot a ball of fire at the weavile. He simply jumped over the predictable attack and landed near Aurora. Rose had no where else to run, she had been cornered at the entrance with Aurora. Aurora pounced towards Frostbite. He dodged to the right and used the claws on his left arm to scratch Aurora's body. His claws had pierced her skin, instantly, a sharp pain was sent through both Aurora and Frostbite. Aurora's pain was caused from the claws digging into her side, but Frostbite was in pain because her frozen body was freezing his nerves, blood, and muscles. Aurora had collapsed on the ground, falling unconscious.

Kindle took a quick minute to wrap herself in flames, they danced violently around her fur and she decided to charge at Frostbite. Kindle didn't attempt this too much due to the fact that it hurt her as well, but this was a last resort because of how much they struggled to fight Frostbite. Frostbite had heard her approaching. He placed his hands on the ground to keep himself balanced as he then used his legs to kick Kindle in the face. His foot smashed right on Kindle's snout, shoving the bone backwards, nearly cracking it. Kindle was also forced back and tumbled along the ground, but her flames still managed to singe the weavile.

Tesla shot sparks of electricity at Frostbite, but he was quick enough to dodge it. He was too focused on what he originally had come for. He ran to Aurora's unconscious body and used her as a shield while digging through her bag. Tasla tried moving to an area to get a better view.

"Take anther step closer and I'll kill her," Frostbite said in a threatening voice.

Tesla stayed there defeated unsure what to do. Kindle and Aurora were both unconscious and Flint was injured to the point of being unable to fight. Rose was the only person who could do something, however, she was too scared and weak to attempt fighting. At the same time though, she started thinking what would happen if Frostbite destroyed whatever was in the package. Firstborn had then found what he was looking for, a rectangular object wrapped in paper with a wax seal. He hadn't known what was for sure in there, but he was curious as to what could be inside.

'I'm sure Tenebris wouldn't mind too much if I opened it,' Frostbite thought to himself, 'Would he?'

Rose was still debating what she should do. She was very intimidated by the weavile, his presence alone set her off edge. She was confused on why he hasn't attacked her while she was here, but assumed it was because she wasn't a threat to him. From the looks of it though, this weavile was for sure an enemy towards the people of Mardol. Rose remembered that Mardol was at war with Zerith, also she recalled that Frostbite needed this object to give them am upper hand. The outcomes of what this could do to Mardol was out weighing the risks and Rose was close to making up her mind.

Frostbite curiously inspected the package as he held a single claw to it, he attempted cutting it open, but the paper wouldn't tare. He tried more forcefully, but still nothing happened. Slowly growing mad, he tried using his teeth to tare it open. However, the package was still unharmed. Before he could question it, his thoughts were interrupted. Rose had sank her teeth into Frostbite's left wrist, similar to how Flint did. Since she was still younge, her teeth were shaper. Tesla, Flint, and even Frostbite were surprised by Rose's actions. Frostbite had less time to think as Rose twisted her head, allowing her teeth to dig in at a different angle inside Frostbite's wrist, increasing his pain and puncturing his veins.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Frostbite yelled.

Tesla had shot a bolt of electricity at Frostbite, but was too late. Using his foot, Frostibe had slammed it downward on Rose's right foreleg. The force caused it to bend against its will to the point to were it snapped. The sound of her leg breaking was the first sound that echoed through the cave. The next sound made Flint's heart sink. Rose screamed in pain, worse than a normal scream. This was a pain she hadn't been able to comprehend. She fell on her side, elevating her right foreleg as tears rolled from her eyes.

Though it took longer then expected, Tesla's spark had finally striked Frostbie. He staggered a little bit but eventually ran away from Aurora, collecting his backpack on the way. He was done here, battling anyone else would slow him down. He'd gathered important information that needed to be told to someone by the name of Tenebris. Tesla tried following Frostbie, but as Frostbite reached the exit of the cave he turned and waved his cape around. Tesla skidded to a stop. It was like a magic trick, Frostbite just disappeared.

"What the hell?" Tesla whispered to himself.

However, he couldn't focus on that right now. Rose was still in immense pain that she was unable to control. Flint was trying his best to ignore his own pain as he dragged himself across the rough ground; it didn't help subside his own pain, if anything, it probably made it worse. Flint firmly planted both his paws in front of him and forcibly dragged himself closer to Rose. He gritted hits teeth at his pain, reminding himself that Rose had it worse right now. As he continued dragging himself, he left a trail of his own blood behind.

Tesla was already by Rose's side. He was inspecting her broken leg. The lower section of the bone has been dislocated and tucked itself behind the upper half. The skin around it appeared to be bleeding from the inside. He flung his backpack on the ground and quickly looked through it, searching for something to relieve the pain. He came across a berry that coiled slightly, it was pink with a creamy tip; what he had found was a mago berry.

"Rose," he started, "you need to eat this, it'll help you feel better."

Rose complied by sinking her teeth into the side of the berry, it's sweet juices flowing throgh her mouth. To her surprise, it had relieved a bit of he pain, but it was still quite painful. Rose didn't have the energy to audibly express her pain anymore, so she quietly ate her mago berry. Tesla continued searching through his bag, hoping to finds anything else that could help. He had nothing else of use though. Flint had finished crawling towards them by the time Rose finished her berry. Tesla then decided to check on Kindle and Aurora to see if they were okay.

"Rose?" Flint said while panting from his loss of energy, "Are you alright?" She didn't answer him, she looked at her wound then towards the ground. Flint couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened. He dragged Rose into this, and now she was seriously injured. "I'm so sorry Rose..." He whispered to her as a tear formed in his eye.

* * *

Nightfang was on the ground, coughing up blood from the pain he had endured. Blood stained his coat in many area were blood had bled from. The krookodile and cacturne were giving him a few minutes to rest before they continued any further. Nightfang was weak all over his body, he was covered in many wounds and bruises for refusing to give more information to the others. He also had a black eye on his left eye, his fur was matted, but luckily for him, none of his bones had been seriously harmed.

"Alright," the cacturne said while approaching him again, "you've had your rest. We shall continue, unless you've changed your mind of course."

His right eye shot up at him, "My answer...is still the same...I'm not telling you anything..." Nightfang said between breaths.

"Have it your way," the krookodile said.

The krookodile flipped Nightfang over onto his back, then pinned him down using his large foot. He then proceeded to yank Nightfang's right foreleg towards him eyeing his individual claws. Nightfang had three claws per paw, and the krookodile's intentions were clear to Nightfang. The krookodile used his own claws to grip Nightfang's middle claw, he then looked into Nightfang's eye, he wanted to watch his reaction. Nightfang braced himself for the pain. The krookodile proceeded by ripped the poochyena's claw from his paw, the nerves holding it in place had snapped as well. Nightfang bit down on his own shoulder, attempting to reduce the pain. Blood had then started trickling out of the small, sensitive wound. Krookodile admired the pain Nightfang was going through, he looked at his severed claw before flicking it somewhere random in the room.

"I think this is enough for today," said the krookodile. "Tomorrow if he continues refusing to answer all remove the other eleven claws, and maybe I'll even take his teeth."

The krookodile steeped off of Nightfang and grabbed him by a hind leg, he then dragged him out of the room to return him to his cage. Just like the others, Nightfang was tossed in his cage carelessly, then hoisted back up. The others watched him in pity, some even wondered how he was still alive.

The scraggy from earlier had bled out and died in his cage while three murkrow picked at his corpse. Nightfang paid no attention to anyone in the cavernous room. He still didn't have any care for life. He was going to endure more pain tomorrow and there was nothing he could do. Even if he did tell them where the gem was they'd still kill him; albeit quicker than the slow death he was experiencing right now, he couldn't allow his selfish wants to simply give in to their evil. Not really in the mood to think about anything, he licked the blood from his paw before coiling up to sleep.

* * *

 _ **I apologize that this chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones.**_

 _ **It's also good that I finally got a battle in here (excluding the prologue), I struggled a little bit with this scene and felt I either over used words, or didn't describe things enough. However, I still hope it was enjoyable for you guys.**_


	5. Chapter 4: Running From Darkness

_**Chapter 4**_

 ** _Running From Darkness_**

An eerie silence filled the swamps of Zerith, an area filed with thick fog and mud that showed no mercy for anything that stumbles into it. Thick trees with roots that shaped the landscape were plotted throughout the swamp. Sitting in various planes of mud would be effigies made of wood and bones, flesh was often scattered around them and they were topped with a hovering purple flame that would burn for eternity.

One tree in particular had a chunk missing and a group of pokemon were resting inside, trying to avoid predators. Inside were five buizel, four of them sat in a group and talked with each other. The other, who was secluded from the group, sat staring out the entrance. She was different from most buizel, and she was seen as a freak from the other. What was it that set this buizel apart from the rest? It was simply her eyes. Commonly, buizel had either black or brown eyes, on rare occasions, some had blue, green, or yellow eyes. However, none of those were the case for this buizel, her eyes were actually two different colors, her left eye was blue while her right one was pink.

She sighed to herself, she was used to being alone and the others not wanting to talk to her, but she thought that in regards to recent events, they would at least accept her presence. They didn't though, they still ignored her and acted as if she didn't exist. Recently, their home had been ambushed by a large group of various dark type pokemon, they slaughtered almost everyone. These five buizel were the only remaining of a colony of originally two-hundred. They didn't have too much time to stop though, they were still being pursued by two more pokemon. All they had to do was escape the swamp which would lead them to an ocean so they could swim to Mardol and hopefully find peace there.

"Nixie!" A voice of one of the male buizel called to her, snapping her out of her thoughts, "I called your name several times already, what the fuck?"

"I'm sorry-" she tried to respond.

"Shut up, I just need to know if you've seen anything yet."

She nodded saying no, and he turned around and continued chatting with his friends. They tried being quiet, but Nixie was still able to hear them.

"Can you believe this retard?" He said to his group.

"What could she possibly of been thinking about?" Another male buizel stated, "She has nothing to think about."

"She's probably wishing she had a brother so she could of done what her patents did to give birth to her," a female buizel snickered.

It was true, Nixie's parents had done what is considered taboo. They were brother and sister and had had sexual intercouse with each other. Most of the other buizel and floatzel believed this was the cause of Nixie's 'deformity.'

"Why did we even bring her with us?" The fourth buizel asked, this one also being female.

"I thought that too," the leader buizel started, "but I realized we could use her as bait. When we're being chased again, we can leave her behind so we can gain more distance from our pursuers." All the others admired his ideas, except, of course, Nixie.

"You know I can hear you all, right?" She said with a saddened look. She had been used to recieving hate from others, but the fact that they wanted to sacrifice her for their selfishness turned her stomach.

"Oh, now you decide you want to listen?" The leader said "I don't care if you can hear us or not. You don't deserve to be alive, you're probability why the Dark Legion attacked us in the first place."

She was baffled that he actually put the blame on her for the attack on their home, "What!? How is this _my_ fault?"

"Because our home has been here in Zerith for decades, and now, out of the blue, there's an attack? They attacked because your birth cursed this land, that's all you are. Just a worthless, good for nothing, curse! If you were never born, we would still be living with our families and friends in peace!" The others were now starting to side with the leader buizel.

"That makes no sense! We were attacked because we're seen as weak to the Dark Legion, we're just taking up their land that they need for this stupid war!" She tried to argue.

"Lies! You just can't accept the truth that you're just an inbred scum that has cursed our land! We don't need you with us, so why don't you take yourself and those retarded eyes of yours someplace else and never bother to see us again!"

She was tired of all the insults she endured through her life, not even her parents had accepted her. No one wanted her around, and she started accepting the fact. She tried hiding her anger, but she couldn't hide her tears, "Fine, I will! I hope your the next one to die!"

With that she turned around and ran away from the tree, carefully avoiding the mud. She was resting on a root that acted as an island in the mud were she cried to herself. "Why do pokemon hate me so much? I've done nothing to them. I choose to love, but they choose to hate. First my patents, then my classmates, then our colony leaders, and now the only remaining members of our colony. All because of these stupid eyes? Why? What difference does it make?"

She whipped her tears away and stared in the distance. She gazed at the stars, one was bigger and brighter than most, she remembered kid stories talking about wishing upon large bright stars. It seemed childish, but she decided to do it anyway, "I wish I could find a pokemon that accepted me, one who wouldn't look at me in disgust. One who wouldn't think of my eyes as a curse, but instead saw them as beautiful..."

She wasn't sure how long she sat out there. It felt like hours, but it could of possibly just been minutes. She decided to sleep on the root for the night, not caring about the two pokemon that were following them.

Trudging throgh the tick swamp, not too far away, were the two pokemon. A drapion who managed to walk through the thick mud, while a shiftry rode on his back.

"This is where I 'eard the yellin'," the shiftry said while eyeing the tree the buizel had been sleeping in.

"Then lets put an end to 'em once and for all," the drapion said as he continued walking over towards the tree.

"Heh, can you believe her?" The leader buizel scoffed.

"Yeah," another buizel said, "she was all like, 'I hope you're the next one to die,'" He said in a mocking tone. The group laughed with each other.

"Hmm, looks like it's getting late. Suppos we should get some sleep now."

The group agreed, they all curled up and huddled together for warmth, unaware of the coming danger. Outside, the drapion had finally reached the tree, he walked around towards the entrance and noticed Nixie sleeping out in the distance.

"Whadu we do about that one o'er there?" He asked while pointing with his claws.

"We can forget bout that one for now, we'll get the ones inside the tree first, then take our time killin' the last one."

"Shouldn't we save the last one for Tenebris?" The drapion asked.

"Pfft, why bother? If he'd really wanted to kill one of 'em, he'd of come here 'imself."

Without another word the two entered the tree. Smiling as they had finally caught their prey. The drapion decided to get things started as he roughly grabbed one of the female buizel by the neck and lifted her of the ground. She gave a choking sound which woke the others inside the tree. Startled, they got up and baked away to the wall of the tree. The leader, then decided to take a step forward and crouched into a battling stance.

"Don't even think about it," the shiftry said while holding up his leaf like arm threatening him.

"Let her go!" He yelled.

The drapion only tightened his grip around the buizel's throat, blocking off even less air. "Why should I?"

"Why are you even attacking us? It's because of that cursed buizel outside, isn't it? If it is, you can take her, we don't need her anymore!"

The drapion and shiftry looked at each other with equal confusion, but they both had the idea to play along. "Yes, what you say is true. That cursed buizel is why we're 'ere right now."

"Then kill her! We want nothing to do with-"

"Silence!" The shiftry snapped, "This cursed buizel is a threat to the Dark Legion, an not just 'er, but she's cursed the whole colony of buizel as well. That is why we shall end you all as well."

"Please, we'll do anything! Just spare us, and we'll leave the Dark Legion be. I'm begging you, what is it you want us to do?"

The drapion was unamused and he had finally tightened the grip around the buizel's neck to the point were it snapped. She died instantly, her limbs becoming limp. The drapion dropped her lifeless body in front of the other three who were in complete shock.

"Run," the drapion commanded.

They instantly bolted out of the tree running aimlessly throgh the swamp, unsure where they were heading. Their screams and yells had woken Nixie, she saw three of the buizel running along roots to get around the swamp. Confused, she then looked over at the tree and saw both the shiftry and drapion. Panicking, she quickly darted throgh the maze of roots to travel through the swamp.

"Cursed buizel?" The shiftry asked.

"Dunno," the drapion said with a shrug, "but somethin' I'm interested in seein', don't ya think?"

"Maybe... Anyway, it's about time we end this lil game."

The two then split up and raced after the fleeing buizel. The environment was rough and dangerous. Sometimes one of the buizel would find themselves at a dead-end, forcing them to backtrack and find a new route. Nixie also struggled, she had stopped herself at a dead-end. A few feet ahead of her was a boulder that stuck out in the mud. She was unsure if she could possibly jump that far. She wanted to go back and find an alternate route to travel, but saw the shiftry heading her way. She quickly made up her mind.

She backed up to get a running start. She ran as fast as she could, and at the last moment, forced her legs to jump. She barely made it as her hands scurried on the blunder trying to get a grip. Once content, she pulled herself to the top of the boulder. She had no time to rest as the shiftry was already closing the gap between the two. Nixie jumped from her boulder onto a piece of land that was invaded by two trees and their roots.

Meanwhile, the group of three had all abandoned each other and were running just to save their own lives. The leader was the fastest in the group and had covered a lot of ground, he also had quick reflexes, so he was able to find his desired path more quickly. He jumped from a root onto a tree. He proceeded to climb the tree and travel along its branch. The branches of the trees either had leafs that draped down, or they had no leafs at all and were starting to build up moss which would also drape off of them.

As he reached the end of the tree branch, he leaped over onto another branch which was attached to another tree. He was beginning to feel tired from running, but he pushed himself to keep going. He found a branch on the other side of the tree and that lead downward. He used it as a slide to reach the ground again. Next, he spotted a log in the mud, he leaped towards it, but what he hadn't expected was its slippery surface. As his paws landed on the log, he lost his balance and toppled onto the mud. He tried to use the log as a way to assist him out of the mud, but it was out of his reach.

The drapion was now in pursuit of two buizel. He was amused at their attempts of escape, knowing all too well they weren't going anywhere. He was much faster than the two, and he had the advantage of being able to trudge throgh the mud, unlike them. He was closing in on the male buizel, he observed his pattern as he ran through the swamp. The drapion used that as a way to predict where he would go next.

The drapion had finally caught up to him and grabbed him around his waist. The buizel yelled at the other for help, but she was too concerned about her own safety to try and help. The drapion brought the buizel's head into his mouth and clamped his teeth around his neck. His screams were then silenced as the drapion tore the head from the torso. He tossed the the body into the mud and continued eating his head. Once satisfied with his quick meal, he continued chasing the other buizel.

The leader buizel sat in the mud and noticed the other female buizel running past him. He yelled at her to help him, but she didn't notice. She continued running. Seconds later, the drapion came charging after the female buizel, he seemed too focused to even notice him in the mud as he ran past the leader buizel. The leader was frustrated since he was stuck in the mud with no escape. He tried one last time to reach the log, but it was futile. No matter how hard he tried, it was just too far away.

He heard the sound of another pokemon running his direction, he looked over to the source of the sound and saw Nixie running. "Nixie!" He yelled catching her attention.

She was concerned and hopped on top of the log, almost losing her balance, "I take it you slipped in?"

"Yes, now please, help me!" He demanded.

She hesitated, this was one of the many pokemon who had insulted her, and hated her, because of her eyes. Why should she help? She should just leave him and escape the shiftry following her. However, it didn't feel right to her, she didn't want to lower herself to they're level.

She let out a sigh before reaching her paw out to grab his. Now he hesitated. Yes, he had asked her for help, but now thinking about it, he didn't really want her to help him. He had no choice though, she was the only pokemon around willing to help him now. If it meant survival, he decided to accept her paw, grabbing it with his own.

Nixie pulled back, trying to pull her leader out of the mud, but he wasn't budging. She took a breath then pulled back with more force. Afterwards, she fell backwards into the mud while the leader now sat at the top of the log. Nixie then tried grabbing for the log, only to realize it was far from her reach now.

"Help!" She panicked.

The leader looked at her for a second and resized he was free. He grinned and said, "No."

Nixie's eyes widened. She went out of her way to save someone who'd never done anything but hurt her in the past. Now here he was, practically spitting in her face as thanks. He wasn't playing a sick joke either, he said it with full seriousness. The pain that shot in her heart caused a tear to well up in her eye.

"Why..." she muttered.

"I'll tell you why! It's because you're cursed! _You're_ the reason we no longer have a home, YOU caused these monsters to kill our colony!"

"I'm not cursed! You have no proof!" She tried reasoning.

"The shiftry told us himself! The Dark Legion was after us because you cursed the colony!"

"No... no! That can't be true! C-can it...?" She was now feeling more pain.

"Oh, it's true alright," another voice said. The two buizel turned to look at the shiftry watching them. "You're a curse to this land, and lord Tenebris 'imself wanted you killed," he lied.

Just then, it felt like a wave of guilt had washed over her. She was the downfall of her colony for being cursed. She wasn't cursed by choice, but now she got to watch the aftereffects of the consequences. She couldn't help but fell she deserved to die at this point. No one cared about her existences, she was the reason everyone she knew had died, she even watched people she loved, who didn't love her back, die. What was the point in her living anymore?

All she could do was shamefully look at the mud with tears in her eyes, "I'm...sorry..." she said, directed at her leader.

"What?" He said. This time though, Nixie didn't realize a hostile tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'm sorry for everything I caused. I didn't have a choice in being cursed our not, but I was. Now or families and loved ones are all dead...and it's all my fault. All I wanted in life was to have someone, even just ONE pokemon, to accept my presence and care I existed... I... I-I just think everything would of been better if I wasn't born. Your friends would still be alive, your family too. Our previous leaders. There would of been no suffering, just happiness. I brought pain and suffering to my colony, so it's only fair that I die..."

"Nixie..." He didn't know why, but now he felt guilty. All these years, he treated her like an annoyance, a list even, yet he didn't know why. He only did it because everyone else didn't like her either. He never thought what she might feel, the pain she was going through.

Before either of the two could say another word, a large spike pierced the leader buizel from behind, exiting out his stomach. The buizel began coughing up blood. He knew he only had little energy before he died, and he decided to say his final words.

"I'm sorry for everything, Nix..." He never finished his sentence, instead, he fell lifeless on the mud. Nixie was shocked, she'd never had someone apologize to her, she couldn't help but cry a little more.

"How sad," the shiftry mocked, "poor Nixie had no friends."

"She never will either," the drapion said while wrapping his claws around her. He gripped her near her shoulder, to where she couldn't move her arms.

"Now poor ol' Nixie is bout to die," the shiftry said with a grin.

* * *

Frostbite was running, he had a message that needed to be delivered to Tenebris, and also something else he felt he needed to tell the other royal leaders. He wasn't sure how important the second bit was, but still felt he should let the others know about it.

He was running through a castle made of black brick walls and a dark wooden floor. Almost anyone who wasn't a dark type would feel gloomy or depressed just looking at it. Frostbite found a staircase and rushed up it. Once at the top, he sprinted down the next hallway. He took many turns, but lucky he knew where he was going.

After exhausting most of his energy, he stumbled across a set of double red doors that were shut. Frostbite quickly groomed himself, making himself look presentable, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.

Inside was Tenebris, who was initially mediating. He was sitting on his throne which was in the shadows, the shadows hiding his body. As the weavile knocked on the door, his crimson eyes shot open. His eyes were full of hate, his brows furrowed with annoyance. He glared at his doors and mentally imagined them opening, and they did to his command.

Tenebris glared at the weavile, "Why have you disturbed me?" He said in a relatively calm voice.

"My lord," Frostbite said while kneeling before him, "I have news regarding the package."

"I don't see it in your possession, leading me to believe one of two things: you destroyed it..." Then his glare intensified, but he still kept a calm tone in his voice, "or you failed."

Frostbite swallowed the air in his mouth, "Yes, I have failed," he admitted, knowing not to beat around the bush nor lie.

"Then why are you here?"

"The package, it's sealed with magical powers. No matter what I tried, it wouldn't open. I used my claws and teeth."

"You will be excused this once, Frostbite. Allow me to infirm you now that magic seals can only be broken by a ghost's attack. Don't fail me again, or you _will_ regret it."

"Y-yes my lord," he replied, mentally punishing himself for stuttering.

"Now, be gone."

"My lord, there is one last thing I wish to inform you, but I wish to tell the rest of the royal leaders as well."

"What else could be important that it involves the others knowing?"

"Well, when I was attacking the amaura, who's a guard of the princess, I noticed a pokemon that was out of the ordinary."

"This doesn't sound important," Tenebris said. He then lay down and shuf his eyes hoping Frostbie would leave.

"Well, my lord, it was an eevee..."

Tenebris shot his eyes open immediately, "An eevee? Are you sure it was an eevee?" This time, his voice want calm, it seemed more startled.

"Yes my lord."

"Did you kill this eevee?" Tenebris said, this time there was a bit of an anger in his voice.

"No, no one was killed," Frostbite replied, purposely leaving out the fact that he intended to kill her.

Tenebris sat up and jumped from his throne, the faint moonlight shining off his fur, the umbreon dashed to something else in the room. Resting in a corner was a black horn. Tenebris took a deep breath and put his mouth over its ammo hole and blew air into the instrument. No actuary sound could be heard, but Frostbite had twitched his ears, he and the other royal leaders were the only ones capable of hearing it's deep hum.

About an hour later, the rest of the royal leaders had appeared. Aside from Tenebris and Frostbite, the other pokemon consisted of an absol, a golurk, a scolipede, and a mismagius. All bowing before Tenebris.

The absol was a female who wore a necklace that contained a colorful orb at the end, and she wore a red cape. The male golurk wore a cape that was gold in color, also a blue aura emitted from his brass bindings. The male scolipede wore a purple cape, and his back was barbed. Lastly, the female mismagius was wearing a transparent gray cape.

"I've called you all here in regards to news Frostbite has informed me of?"

"What is this news, my lord?" The mismagius said in an old raspy voice.

"He's spotted an eevee," Tenebris continued. The group stiffened, a couple beginning to sweat.

"How could that be?" The absol spoke, "I thought you were one of the last eevee."

"What about princess Starshine?" The scolipede spoke up, "Would that mean she gave birth to an eevee?"

"It's impossible," Tenebris said, "Frostbite, who all was this eevee with?"

He gathered his memory before speaking, "There was an amaura, a fennekin, a mareep, and a growlithe who was protecting this eevee. He treated her like a daughter it seemed."

"Then the growlithe knows something we do not, I'd assume they'll reach Whitestone in two days. I need to see this eevee for myself."

"What is it you need of us, my lord?" The golurk asked in a deep voice.

"Most of you shall continue to carry out your missions, but I'll need some help because I'm traveling to Whitestone." The group gasped.

"Alone?" Frostbite said in disbelief.

"No, you'll be joining me, I have something that'll be useful to you."

"Yes, my lord," he said while trying to stay calm.

"Magnus," Tenebris said, directed towards the golurk, "I'll need you to continue your research on the Peace Guild."

"It shall be done, my lord."

"Banshee," Tenebris now directed towards the mismagius, "You'll continue preparing your army for the next assault."

"Of course, my lord."

"Toxin," Tenebris said at the scolipede, "I need you to continue your search for the artifact we've been looking for." The scolipede simply nodded. "You all are dismissed, except for Angel and Frostbite."

The others gave Tenebris one final bow before disappearing into the air. Only Tenebris, Frostbite, and the absol known as Angel were left in the room.

"Frostbite, I need you here because a new concoction has been made that will be added to your collection of potions."

Frostbite was excited to know more, "What is it?"

"You'll see later. As for you Angel, how are things going with Nightfang's interrogations?"

"He's yet to utter anything about the gem except that he disposed of it. I've assume he's either left it someplace, or he gave it to another pokemon."

"Then I shall tell you your next course of action. You're going to free Nightfang."

"What? Why?" She said, not even caring she was questioning his authority.

Tenebris stayed calm however, as if she expected her to disagree, "Once you've freed him, you're going to follow him and see where he leads you. He could possibly go back for the gem. If not, and he ends up trying to escape to Mardol, I want you to capture him and I'll allow you to get the answers out of him by any means necessary."

She didn't like the plan until the last part, "Yes my lord, I'll handle the situation immediately." She then exited his throne room and disappeared into the night.

* * *

Nightfang was laying inside his cage struggling to sleep due to his pain. He looked out his cage and saw another krookodile relieving the one that had been guarding the room the past few hours. He was always waiting for the 'perfect moment' to plan his escape, but the time never came.

Then he heard new footsteps entering the cave, he looked towards the entrance and widened his eyes as he saw Angel entering the cave. The krookodile guard stiffened before properly bowing to greet her.

"Your highness, it's an honor to serve you." The guard said.

"As you were krookodile," she said to him, "I've come to inspect these cages, lord Tenebris has ordered me to execute a few of them."

"Understood, just tell me which ones, and I'll have them taken down to you, your highness."

Angel looked around, trying to stall and make it seem more believable that she actually was here to execute a few pokemon. She browsed the dozens of cages dangling from the ceiling, mainly looking for Nightfang. Once she spotted him, she grinned to herself.

"The first one on the list was a raticate," she said.

The krookodile nodded to her before lowering the raticate's cage. Angel approached the creature as it backed away from her in its cage. Angels heart started pounding and her grin grew bigger, she loved killing pokemon. In a way, she had a blood lust for it. Pain, death, and suffering only made her happier, and turned her on in a way. She opened the cage and lunged inside, her teeth digging into the raticate's neck. She drained the blood from his neck and drank it. After her prey was killed, she dragged it's lifeless corps out of the cage. The krookodile then raised it back up.

"Next, the sableye," she ordered.

The krookodile then lowered the next cage in front of Angel. The sableye look at her in terror, knowing his final day was today. At the same time though, he felt relieved, he would no longer have to suffer in this cave. He had come to terms with death and welcomed it with open arms. He showed no more fear as Angel opened his cage and sank her teeth into his neck as well. She pulled him out of the cage and shook him around like a dog does with a play toy. After throwing the dying sableye on the ground, she ended his pain in one final bite on the other side of his neck.

"Tenebris wanted me to also handle the traitor, Nightfang."

"Your highness? He's still being interrogated and-"

"You dare question me?" She interrupted with anger.

"N-no, your highness. I'll have him down here this instant." He quickly lowered Nightfang's cage and mentally kicked himself for questioning Angel.

Nightfang and Angel were now face to face. Angel grinned at him while Nightfang glared at her with his one good eye.

"So," she began, "we meet again, Nightfang."

"Go to hell."

"Angry as usual I see."

"If you're going to kill me, just kill me, I don't care anymore."

"Oh Nightfang, you thought I was here to kill you? Hehehe, how wrong you are." She giggled to herself, "I'm not going to kill you, _yet."_

"If you're not here to kill me, then what do you want?" He asked confused.

"The same thing we've always wanted. Were is the gem's location."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told my instigators, I disposed of it."

"Impossible, artifacts can't be destroyed."

"That's why I said disposed, not destroyed, it's no longer in my possession, I don't even know where it could be right now."

"Then who did you give it to?" She asked.

"How did you know I gave it to-" his eyes widened realizing what he'd said while he used his paws to cover his mouth whole cursing at himself.

"So you did give it to another pokemon? Who though?"

"You think I'd tell you?"

"Of course not, but the Dark Legion will always find a way to get the answers they're looking for."

"You're not getting anything out of me except my own blood."

"I'll get the answers out of you," she said while opening his cage, "one way or another."

Nightfang was confused on why she did, but he didn't have time to questing it. This was that moment of escape he was waiting for. As she opened the cage, he growled and lunged at her, electricity dancing around his teeth. He bit down on her right foreleg causing her to jump back. He then raced for the exit. The krookodile was preparing an attack until Angel stoped him.

"Don't attack him, I love a good chase." She didn't leave though, she just stood there. The krookodile looked at her confused, "I'm giving him a head start." After a few minutes had elapsed, she then started following the path Nightfang had took.

Nightfang was already out of the cave by now, luckily, only being followed by Angel. He did his best to ignore the poison that shot through his body. He was running through a snowy tundra, not exactly too sure were to go. He had to warn the pokemon he gave the gem to, he needed them to get rid of the gem now.

'If only I still had my cape,' Nightfang thought to himself, 'then traveling would be a lot easier...'

He looked back and noticed Angel exiting the cave, but she was far behind him. Not that it mattered, the capes the royal leaders of Zerith wore allowed them to instantly travel anywhere inside Zerith. It was nice and convenient for getting around the huge Provence.

Nightfang could help but wonder why Angel was no longer chasing him. She only watched as he ran away. She could easily catch him, but didn't. He was then thinking she was playing some sick game of meowth and rattata. He still had hope though that he could possibly out wit her and actually escape. His chances were slim, but he'd still do anything, just to leave Zerith and find peace elsewhere.

* * *

Back at the castle, Frostbite was waiting for Tenebris to ready himself. Tenebris has found his cape, which was a silky black and had a red trim around it. After equipping the cape, he headed out of his throne room while Frostbite followed behind him. Tenebris led them through many hallways and staircases. Most of these places, Frostbite had never even been to and was easily lost in the intricate layout of the castle's foundation.

They were now in a hallway that was a dead end, the wall in front of them had two torches on it. Tenebris stared at the torch on the left side, he concentrated and imagined turning it. Eventually, the torch started turning clockwise, it stopped once the tip pointed to the torch on the right. Tenebris did the same for the torch on the right, it began turning counterclockwise until it's tip pointed towards the torch on the left.

Frostbite always got chills whenever he watched Tenebris mysteriously move objects like he was some kind of psychic pokemon. Tenebris backed away from the wall as it began to rearrange its bricks, revealing a passageway that led downward. The two entered and descended downward, Frostbite unsure what could possibly be at the bottom. At the end, they found one last door, Tenebris walked up to it and pushed it open, entering the room on the other side.

Inside was a cluttered table that had knifes, bowls, a mortar, a lit candle that was almost burned out, and random herbs and vegetation. In the back was a cauldron sitting just above a small fire. They're were bookshelves that are littered with many random items, and some actually contained books. There was also a counter littered with viles, some empty, others filed with random liquids, and some that had been used. Lastly, sitting on a chair, was a shuppet who's left eye was a blind eye.

"Tenebris?" She spoke, "I wasn't expecting you here at this time. What brings you here?"

"I'm here for the concoction I had requested for Frostbite," he explained.

"Oh! Frostbite, I hardly recognized you. I haven't seen you since you were still a sneasel. How have you been sweetie?"

"I've been fine, " he said, "how about yourself, Fade?"

The shuppet known as Fade was already off of her chair searching through the viles. "I've been fine. Ah, here it is," she said while grabbing a vile containing a black liquid in her mouth.

She flew over to Frostbite and handed it to him. Frostbite examined the vile, the liquid inside was very thick, it seemed to ooze instead of flow. It was also black like the night sky, he couldn't help but be curious as to what it did.

"So, what exactly does this do?"

"You'll have to wait and see. You always did like the surprise of using a new potion. Don't you worry about its affects, Tenebris had it special made for you, so I'm sure it'll do something great."

"You were only able to craft one of these portions?" Tenebris asked.

"Eh hehe," Fade laughed nervously, "you see, I struggled to find the gloom bloom, which is the key ingredient to creating this potion."

"Then I'll be sure to have that planted in the garden. Meanwhile, I want you to make more of these potions. I expect three more by the time I visit you again."

"It will be done my lord," Fade said with a bow.

Tenebris and Frostbite exited the room and went back into the hallway, the wall closing behind them. Frostbite continued observing his vile, still curious to what it would do, and why Tenebris would have it special made for him. He ignored the thought and placed the vile inside his bag while following Tenebris throgh the rest of the hallways.

"What's the plan from here?" Frostbite asked.

"I need to retrieve a few more supplies and then we're heading to Whitestone so I can see this eevee you spoke of."

"May I ask a question, my lord?"

"Make it quick."

"What do you intend to do once you find this eevee?"

Tenebris didn't reply, he was lost in thought, confused even. Something just didn't seem right, and it bothered him. Another eevee existing just didn't seem possibly after being one of the last eevee born.

He finally decided to answer, "We're bringing the eevee back here."


	6. Chapter 5: Treasure

**_Chapter 5_**

 ** _Treasure_**

Rose had calmed down after almost an hour, Flint by her side trying his best to comfort her, but at the same time still blaming himself. Kindle and Aurora had woken up and Tesla offered them oran berries. Aurora had asked what happened to Frostbite, which Tesla explained to her what had happened after she fainted.

"Great," Aurora muttered to herself, "so he's still out there. Flint, why didn't you kill him? You had him right there in front of you, he was open and vulnerable."

"I just couldn't being myself to kill him...I've killed pokemon before in the past and...I-I just can't handle the feeling afterwards."

"Look, it's either you kill them, or they _w_ _ill_ kill you. Especially Frostbite, he's one of the last pokemon you'd expect to show you mercy."

"I'm sorry," Flint said shamefully while looking at the ground.

Tesla was still inspecting Rose's injured leg, "Is it feeling any better?" He asked, knowing it was a dumb question.

She nodded, "No, it still hurts really bad." Though it still hurt, she didn't have the energy to express her pain anymore, all she could do was try her best not to move her leg.

Aurora approached Rose while removing the flower she gave her, "You know, it's a good thing I picked these flowers out. The sun's eye just so happens to be a medicinal plant."

"Will it fix my foreleg?" Rose asked hopefully.

"No, sorry, it'll only relieve your pain and fight against infections."

Rose frowned, "I guess it's better than nothing."

Aurora set her backpack on the ground and started looking for a specific item. She came across her mortar and took it out, placing it on the ground. She then put the sun's eye inside the stone bowl while using its utensil to grind the flower into a moist paste looking substance. There also seemed to be a liquid that dripped out of the plant as it was being grind down. Aurora then approached Rose with the bowl.

"Alright, this will sting for a little bit," Aurora told Rose.

Rose clenched her eyes shut as Aurora scooped some of the paste onto her paw. She proceeded to rub it on Rose's wounds, mainly her leg. Rose let out a couple sounds of discomfort, but it wasn't too bad for her. Aurora decided to grind the flower attached to herself as well, deciding to tend to everyone else's wounds as well.

She applied some in the area Kindle had been kicked, Flint's wounds, as well as herself. Aurora was now observing Rose's broken foreleg, she was going to need to align the bones and use something as a splint.

"We need to fix this leg or else it won't heal properly," Aurora stated.

"How are we going to do that?" Flint asked.

"You see how the lower bone is shoved way behind her upper bone?" Flint nodded, "We're going to have to realign it first. To do that, we need to pull the bone."

Rose looked scared, "Isn't that only going to make it hurt more?"

"It will hurt, but this is what needs to be done to fix your leg, if it doesn't get realigned, your leg won't heal properly."

"You should at least give her a rag or something to bite on," Tesla spoke up, "to muffle the sounds of pain." Flint glared at Tesla after that comment.

"She won't be awake while we do this."

"What do you mean by that?" Rose asked uncertainly.

Aurora walked behind Rose and said, "Nothing personal kid," she then hit Rose on her temple, causing her to black out on the floor.

Flint was angry and pounced at Aurora pinning her to the ground, "Are you fucking crazy? You can't just hit her when she's already badly injured. Hell, you shouldn't even hit her, period!"

"Flint," Kindle said, getting his attention, "she's doing it for the good of Rose. Would you rather her be conscious while we do this?"

"No... but, there had to of been an easier way to do that than hitting her."

"Well, not down here there's not," Aurora said while shoving Flint off of her and walking back over to Rose. Flint dusted himself off while glaring at Aurora. "First things first, we need to realign her leg. To do that, we'll need to pull the two bones away from each other."

Flint walked over to Rose's body, the only sign of life being her rhythmic breathing. He was still beating himself up for allowing this to happen. There was nothing he could do now though, but try and help her get better. Flint firmly put his forelegs in front of Rose to keep her there, while Aurora grabbed her by the paw and started pulling on the bone. Flint then pulled back a little to help. There was a light pop, and her bone was placed beck in its joint, still broken though. Next, Aurora grabbed a thin rope and looked around throgh all of the rubble until she found what she was looking for. She managed to find two short and thin planks. She carried them in her mouth while walking back to where Rose was, once there, she set them on the ground. She instructed for Tesla and Kindle to help her and for Flint to lift Rose's leg, which they all did. As Flint held her leg up, Kindle had positioned a plank underneath it while Tesla positioned one above it. Then Aurora took the rope and tied it firmly around the two planks and somehow managed to make a knot, which she struggled for minutes to achieve.

"And, done," she stated.

"This just looks stupid," Flint said as he looked at the planks tied around her leg. "How is she going to walk with that on her?"

"She's not, you're going to have to carry her."

"How long will she need to wear it?"

"Until we get to Whitestone, once we get there, we can get her proper medical treatment."

"It still looks stupid," Flint admitted.

"It's not _t_ _hat_ bad Flint," Kindle said. "Just paint some colors on it, draw a flower or something, I'm sure she'll like it."

Flint just ignored her, "So what do we do now?"

"Now we need to open up that final door," Aurora said while pointing at the door they saw Frostbite in front of.

"How do you suppose we do that?" Tesla asked.

"I would assume it has something to do with this staff I found in the previous room," she said while pulling out the golden staff with the black glass sphere on top.

"What do we do with that?" Kindle asked.

"Look at the center of the room." In the center was a slab with a hole carved into it, Aurora began walking over to it while carrying the staff with her, "This hole just so happens to match the size of the staff."

She shoved the bottom of the staff in the hole, it made a click sound and the black sphere began to glow white. Soon after, a beam of light shot out and hit the pillar at the northeast side of the room, but did nothing more. Flint began observing the pillar and noticed there was a hole located higher on the pillar. He curiously observed another pulsar, this one located at the south end of the room. It also had a hole in it, it appeared to be lower than the previous one. Maybe even perfect enough for the light to fit inside.

"Aurora," Flint called, "try aiming the light over here."

"How would I do that?"

"I don't know, try turning the staff."

She gripped the staff with her teeth and began turning the staff clockwise, as she did, the inner most ring started moving, as did the pillar placed on it. Aurora immediately stopped seeing that the pillar was moving, but not the light. Flint noticed the southern pillar was on the middle ring while the southeastern pillar was on the outer ring.

"Try pushing the staff down a little more."

Aurora pushed it down, another click was heard, the light also lowered. She caught on to what he was thinking. She rotated the staff counterclockwise until the pillar was located in front of the beam. This time, the hole was barely higher than the beam of light. Aurora then got on her hind legs and pushed upwards on the staff until another click was heard. The light was raised along with the staff, it then shot into the pillar. The pillar then began glowing with bizarre calligraphy all around it, another beam of light then shot out of the pillar and was hitting the western wall. Aurora stood mouth agape looking at the pillar.

"These markings, they seem so familiar..."

Flint looked closer and also somehow recognized the makings, "They...do seem familiar."

"That's Avarian letters," Tesla spoke up.

"Avarian? I studied the language a bit, they never taught us what the letters looked like, just the sounds and pronunciation."

"It is Avarian, but, not the type of Avarian I remember. It's like it's been altered or something."

"Western Avarian," Flint remembered from talking to Idwon.

"Western Avarian?" Tesla asked.

"I was talking with someone, they told me that the pokemon of Mardol use an alternate version of Avarian, I remember a couple of the letters were removed and some spelling or something was changed."

"I wonder what it says?" Kindle mused.

"Whatever, let's just finish up what you guys were doing," Tesla said.

"No," Aurora said.

"What?" The three said in unison.

"Do you not see how important this is? Finding any type of writing in a cave is important. There's even superstition about this kind of stuff. Whenever you find writing, an important message is trying to be sent."

"Well, there's not much we can do, no one seems to know how to read it," Tesla stated.

"Yeah, no one right here, but _Someone_ somewhere knows what it says. Flint, you seem to know how this puzzle works. Kindle and Tesla, you two help Flint if he needs anything. I'm going to write this message down."

Aurora reached in her bag and grabbed a light cloth and some ink. She dipped a claw in the ink and began writing the symbols before her. Some looked more bizarre than others. The letters either had random sharp angles, we're non symmetric, and some had random dots that accompanied them. Flint began working on the puzzle while Tesla and Kindle observed the pillars. Kindle pointed out that the pillar on the outer ring was in line with the beam of light. Flint used his paws to push down on the staff until he heard it click, he did it again until he heard it click a second time. He also noticed the beam of light still shined and was no longer entering the pillar, which also meant the symbols disappeared. Aurora looked annoyed, but she knew he had to do it to solve the puzzle. He began rotating the staff until the pillar was positioned near the western wall. Flint then lifted the staff up two levels to check the light beam. Just as expected, it hit the hole on the second pillar and shot a new one out towards the southern wall. This pulsar also decorated itself with the mysterious symbols.

"Great, there's more," Aurora complained.

"You can't possibly write down all of this can you?" Tesla asked.

"No, I don't have enough cloth to write it all down."

"Then just finish as much as you can."

"This could be really important, I need to write all of it."

"What if you had a psychic type read your mind so it could write this all down for you?"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Aurora said. "I'll finish this pillar, then we can all leave. I should be done by the time you have the last pillar positioned."

Flint pushed the staff down one last time and rotated it until the pillar was in the right spot. He then lifted the staff and the light had traveled to the final pillar. The last pillar lit up with more mysterious symbols and shot out one final beam towards the door. It went through the bars and out the other side hitting something out of view. Suddenly, they heard the door open. Aurora was finishing up the message while Flint went to grab Rose. He sat her on top of his backpack. He struggled a bit to carry both her and the backpack, but he managed. As Aurora finished, she put the cloth in her backpack and flung it unto her back.

"Alright, let's go," she said.

The group then headed towards the exit. The new area they had been led to was a tunnel that winded wildly throgh the mountain. Kindle was ahead of the group, skipping happily while humming a tune. Tesla and Aurora walked side by side silently. Flint was at the back, still mad at himself for what had happened to Rose. He looked back at her broken leg and winced. He could only hope the splint would do its job.

"Arceus, how long is this path?" Tesla complained.

Aurora shrugged, "Could be miles for all I know. It'll be worth it once we get out of here, we saved a few days of traveling."

"Saved a few days or not, the fact is that going in here put us all at risk just a moment ago. Food and water are scarce in this cave as well. We haven't even come across a new chamber or anything while taking this path. It could be a dead end for all we know."

"I don't think this is a dead end since the mountain caves have often been used as shortcuts. We've been on every possible path so far, and an exit is guaranteed. As for food and water, I would of expected each of you to have packed your own food."

"I did, but not water."

"Well then that's your fault."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Guys!" Kindle yelled while running back to the group. "Follow me, I found something," she then turned to run back from where she came from.

"What is it?" Tesla curiously asked.

"Just follow me," she said excitedly while running off.

The group did so, wondering what it was she was talking about. They followed through the windy path within the mountain cave. The cave was dark, for the most part, but Aurora's necklace and Tesla's tail orb were able to produce enough light for them to see their surroundings. They had finally reached a new room, it was oval in shape. Along the walls were four torches that lit the room up. Inside the center of the room was what they realized Kindle was speaking about. There was a chest sitting in the center, dark brown wood for the body while its edges were iron.

"It's a chest," Flint said, pointing out the obvious.

"C'mon," Kindle excitedly said, "let's open it."

"It seems kinda pointless," says Tesla. "It's the only chest in this linear path, I'm sure some other travelers have extracted any contents that have been in there."

"Tesla," Aurora began, "I don't think you're aware on how dungeon and cave loot works." Tesla raised an eyebrow, waiting for a further explanation. Aurora took a breath as she prepared to explain herself, "Dungeons, caves, and any other location where you can explore with puzzles and dangerous foe are works of Palkia."

"Oh please," Tesla started uninterested, "I don't believe in Palkia nor Dialga."

"But you believe in Mew," Kindle argued.

"Yes, I know, I don't have to believe in every legendary or mythical god. The existence of Mew seems more reasonable than magical space dragons who created all existence."

"Contrary to your beliefs," Aurora continued, "we believe Palkia created these places. Puzzles are always new, and there's always new treasures and rewards. This chest is from Palkia rewarding us for our efforts."

"I still think that's outlandish."

Aurora ignored him and walked to the chest, Kindle had followed her. Flint took this moment to set Rose and his backpack down so he could rest, Tesla seemed to have a similar idea. Aurora and Kindle were examining the chest. Aurora approached the box and began lifting it's lid. Her eyes widened as she looked inside and saw the chest was in fact not empty.

"Tesla, Flint, come here," she called.

The two walked over and saw the chest was full of various items. The was a handful of bronzin, silvin, and pentra, there was also a couple necklaces and a ring. Tesla didn't want to believe there was treasure, but he couldn't deny what was obviously in front of him.

"Look at all this stuff," Kindle said.

"I say we split the coins between everyone," Flint suggested.

"Yeah, with everyone except Tesla," Aurora replied.

"Excuse me?" Tesla said with disbelief.

"You heard me, why should you get any of this? After all, you don't believe in 'magical space dragons' and this is all 'outlandish' as you put it."

"I didn't think Mardol would accept a c _hild_ as a royal guard, but hey, I learn something new everyday."

"Guys," Kindle interrupted, "this is no time for arguing."

"Stay out of this you cinnamon scented fox!"

"I can't believe you're really going to start acting like this right now," Tesla continued. "You hired us to protect you, we've been doing our job for the most part, especially with the battle we had with Frostbite. Come to think of it, you were little to no help at all during the fight, one blow and you were out cold. I think you should get less of the share since _you're_ the reason Frostbite attacked us."

"Wait wait wait. Frostbite attacking us is _my_ fault? Oh Arceus, this is gold. Do elaborate, I'm DYING to hear your excuses."

"Because you're carrying something he wants, all we know is that this item you have is important to the princess. You never informed us the dangers of protecting you. Yeah, we knew it would be dangerous, but we were never aware that you were being hunted down by a royal leader from Zerith."

"You have no idea how important this item is, and if I told anyone how dangerous a person chasing me was, no one would take the bounty. This is why I was looking for skilled pokemon, and this is why I didn't want that little kid," she pointed at Rose, "around in such a dangerous predicament."

The room was silent. Flint wanted nothing to do with the conversation. He agreed that Aurora was going a little far cutting Tesla out of the share, but he disagreed with Tesla putting the blame on her for Frostbite attacking them. The attacks were nothing personal, just for war and greed. He also felt uneasy because they entered this cave as a team but now were in blind anger over treasure.

Flint let out a sigh, "Let's all just try to look past each other's differences. We're all really angry because it's late, we've had no sleep, little to eat, and we're sore and exhausted from this long day. How about we all get some sleep and calm down a little?"

No one said anything, but they all seemed to agree. Everyone found their own places to rest for the night, Flint laying next to Rose. Chills ran through his bones as he looked at her leg once more. There wasn't anything he could do now except hope it heals properly. Flint then curled into a ball and feel asleep.

The next morning inside the cave, Rose was the first to wake up. She stirred a bit before slowly opening her eyes. She had a headache and felt dizzy. She turned towards her leg and saw the planks wrapped around it, which she thought loomed kind of stupid. There was a stinging pain, but it didn't feel too bad at the moment because of the paste that was applied to her wound.

She noticed her leg bones were realigned but wouldn't dare walking on it yet. She looked around and saw she was in a completely new area within the cave. What she had mostly noticed was the large chest in the center of the room. Curious, she wanted to get a better look at it. She tried pushing herself up to her feet, but fell down. She felt out of breath but gave it another go. Still no success.

Her next idea was to crawl to it. She reached out her left foreleg and then used her hind legs to push herself forward. She found this quite easy and continued the pattern until she reached the chest in the center. Using the chest for support, she attempted to get to her feet once more, this time successfully. Now all she needed to do was open it.

She got on her hind legs and pushed herself upwards so her foreleg would open it. Inside she saw a bunch of coins, two necklaces, and a single ring. Rose stared at the treasure in awe, however, she felt a strong attraction to one of the necklaces. Her paw grabbed onto a necklace with a golden chain, at the bottom was a heart-shaped gem, possibly ruby. She didn't know why, but she felt she _needed_ to have this necklace. She got back on her three good paws and tried the necklace on. Once it was on, she felt a strange filing in her broken leg. It was a similar filing to when a foot or hand 'falls asleep.' Not only that, but she no longer felt tiered or sore.

Flint began waking up, he looked to his side and noticed Rose wasn't next to him. Alert, he looked quickly around the room until he spotted Rose. He then got up and rushed over to her.

"What are you doing up?" He said in a whisper so the others wouldn't wake up.

"I couldn't sleep," she simply replied.

"How's your leg feeling?"

Rose looked down at it then back at Flint, "It's getting better."

"What do you think of the splint?"

She gave an unsure look at Flint, "It's kinda stupid."

Flint chuckled to himself. He then noticed the necklace Rose was wearing, "Where'd you get that?" He asked pointing to the necklace. He knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from her.

"It was in this box, thing," she said awkwardly not knowing what to call it exactly.

"The chest?" Rose shook her head acknowledging it by its proper name. "What compelled you to wear it? Not that there's anything wrong, I mean, it looks nice on you."

"I don't know," Rose admitted, "I just felt the need to wear it. Once I put it on, my leg started feeling weird."

"What do you mean?"

"It feels...I don't know how to explain it, it's like I don't feel anything at all."

"That's strange," Flint replied, not too sure how to respond.

One by one the rest of the pokemon started waking up. Kindle being the first, followed by Tesla. They all started going through their bags preparing for breakfast. Flint and Rose enjoyed some fruits while Kindle and Tesla ate various berries. Now Aurora began waking up, she noticed everyone eating and began getting her own meal. While doing so she then noticed the necklace Rose was wearing. She quickly made her way over to Flint and Rose.

"What is that?" She asked with an obvious attitude.

Flint looked down at the fruit he was eating, "It's an apple."

Not in any mood for his sarcasm, she smacked Flint's apple away, "Don't be an ass, where did you get that damn necklace?" She asked Rose.

"Hey!" Flint stood up, "Number one, don't every disrespect my food, and number two, don't use profanity in front of Rose."

"Oh, all of the sudden profanity is an issue?"

"And all of the sudden you have many issues? You didn't seem rude when we first met, but as soon as we got in this cave your true colors started showing."

"Stop distracting me. Rose, answer my question!"

"She doesn't have to tell you anything," Rose was starting to get nervous and hid behind Flint.

"It's a simple question."

"Why does it matter? Isn't the answer pretty obvious? I don't see any mystical necklace trees around here, how about you?"

Before anything else could be said, Tesla steeped up, "For the love of Mew, both of you shut up. We've had enough arguing and fighting the whole duration of our time in this cave. Look, Aurora, Rose obviously got the necklace from the chest, but why does it matter?"

"Because she just took it, we haven't even split the treasure yet and she greedily took the necklace. Why did you take the necklace Rose?"

She didn't answer, she was scared and hid behind Flint. Flint decided to talk, "Aurora, you need to realize that this is a child, not an adult like you. Yelling isn't helping at all. Believe it or not, but I've known Rose longer than you and I can guarantee she does not like yelling. I asked her this stuff when I woke up. She said she felt the need to wear it. I wouldn't get mad at her for that, she also said that she isn't feeling any pain in her leg now. So maybe this necklace is helping her?"

"So be it," Aurora replied. "For now though, we need to split the treasure inside the chest. Now, I don't know for sure what the other necklace and ring do, but maybe Kindle can help us with that."

"How do you suppose I do that?" Kindle asked with a tilt of her head.

"I'm not too sure how it works, but pokemon with psychic abilities can tell the magical properties of items."

"I don't have psychic abilities yet."

"That's wrong," Aurora corrected. "Fennekin are able to learn psychic attacks and abilities before they evolve. Just try it, we'll see what happens."

"I'm not sure, but I can try."

"Test it on Rose's necklace," Flint suggested.

Kindle walked over to Rose and placed her paw on the heart-shaped jewl. Suddenly her vision was replaced with a scene. She saw a deep would cut into flesh, in the background she heard a heartbeat pumping and saw the wound healing itself. She clenched her head after the scene ended and her vision went back to normal.

"What happened?" Tesla asked trying to hide his concern.

"I saw...a vision," Kindle replied not believing her own words.

"What did you see?" Aurora asked. Kindle repeated to her what she had saw in the vision, "Well, if that's the case than what Rose has is a necklace of healing. Those are quite valuable."

"Wow!" Kindle said with stars in her eyes, "I love this ability. Let's see what the ring and other necklace do!"

Kindle then rushed over to the chest and open it. She was interested in the other necklace first. The chain was silver and the jewl was flat but had an interesting design. There was a circle, insure the circle was an upside-down equilateral triangle, all three of its angles touching the circle. From the center of the triangle's sides were strait lines that met up in the center all connecting to a single dot. The design was all a blue that glistened white. The jewl itself was probably made of sapphire. Once she touched it, her vision began. It was pitch black, the ground was all water. A droplet feel into the water and echoed throughout the void. Suddenly, a huge burst of water came out of the location the droplet had fallen.

"Well?" Aurora asked.

Kindle explained what she had saw in the vision. They were unsure what it could mean so they assumed it was for a water type pokemon. Next, Kindle reached for the ring. It was a glossy black color. When Kindle touched it she didn't have a vision. She touched it once more but nothing happened.

"Nothings happening," Kindle explained.

"Maybe it's just a regular ring?" Flint suggested.

"Possibly, that means it can be enchanted and whatnot at a later point in time," Aurora explained.

"I'll take it if no one wants it," Tesla stated.

"Go ahead." Kindle then tossed the ring to Tesla, he then put it in his bag. "Now, we share the wealth. Since Flint takes care of Rose, we'll split it into fours."

Aurora pretended the argument from the night before never happened. She started by counting the bronzin, there were twenty-four coins, meaning everyone was given six. The twelve silvin was spread into three for each pokemon. That left them with the decision of five pentra, but surprisingly everyone agreed to give it to Flint since he had a dependent. In total, Flint now had sixteen bronzin, eight silvin, and five pentra.

"Wait, what about the necklace?" Kindle asked.

"I don't know," Aurora replied not really caring, "give it to Flint."

"Why me?" Flint asked.

"Well, we think it's for a water type. If Rose decides to be a vaporeon it could become useful for her."

"I guess," Flint replied while talking the necklace and putting it in his bag.

"Alright, let's go."

The group spent the next few hours traveling through more windy tunnels. They stopped to eat some lunch and then continued walking. They didn't travel as fast as they would of liked due to Rose only being able to walk on three legs. No one complained though. They still were making progress. Throughout the day they also took a few rests and on one occasion found a source of fresh flowing water within the cave. They headed out again for a couple more hours before deciding on eating what would be their dinner.

Afterwards they made one final stretch until they could faintly see an exit. Overjoyed, their pace quickened. After one last push they were finally done, they group was outside the cave standing beneath the stars. Everyone took a long breath of fresh air, Rose enjoyed the grass beneath her feet while Flint enjoyed the breeze brushing against his fur.

"Hey, guys, look over there," Aurora said. The group followed her gaze and saw some lights in the distance. It was a town for sure.

"What is that?" Kindle asked

"That's a town called Bark Leaf, that's were we're heading for the night."

The group finished enjoying their freedom from the cave and continued walking to their next destination. Hopefully for them, the worst of the journey was done...

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know the story may seem a little slow at the moment, but I'm expecting it to pick up within the next five or so chapters. Anyway, let me know what you thunk of the story so far.**


	7. Chapter 6: Safe For Now

_**Chapter 6**_

 _ **Safe...For Now**_

Flint, Rose, and the others had finally made it to Bark Leaf town. It was about three miles away from the cave, all they could think about now was well deserved sleep.

The town was fairly larger than Grassroot, it even had its own walls. The walls were about ten feet tall, made from cobble and held up by wooden beams. The town had about three entrances, one at the south (which is where they were approaching from), another at the northeast, and the third located to the west. The interesting thing about the town was that most of it was built in the trees that sprouted everywhere, which seemed to make the wall seem useless. There were also dome shaped buildings along the ground, paths that drove through the town, and stairs that led up the trees. In the center of town was a thicker and much taller tree. It looked like an enlarged willow tree, it's leafs hanging down over the rest of the town. The central tree was also decorated with paper lanterns and white wisps flew around it.

"Wow!" Kindle mused, "Bark Leaf looks, well, amazing!"

"Yeah Yeah," Aurora said uninterested, "lets just find an inn so we can finally get some sleep."

"Aurora," Flint began, "do you think we could rest here tomorrow as well? I think Rose needs some time to recover."

Aurora looked back at him and Rose, she then glanced at the broken leg. As much as she wanted to get to Whitestone as soon as possible, she couldn't deny the fact that Rose still needed to heal and her injured leg was only slowing them down, "We'll stay for two days, then we'll head to Whitestone."

No one disagreed. Next, the group began walking through the town. Everyone, except for Aurora, seemed to be amazed with the nature of the town. They had never seen anything like it. Eventually, they found a dome shaped building with a tree sprouting out of it. Written on the dome read 'Rusty Wood Inn.' The dome was red in color and had bushes surrounding it. A downward slope lead to its front door.

Everyone walked into the red dome. The interior decor was simple. In the center was the base of the tree, an entranced carved into it that lead to a spiral staircase. There were two small tables in the done that had cushions for chairs surrounding them. In the back was a desk with a slowbro standing behind it. The slowbro was clearly male and was wearing glasses while reading a thick book. As the group approached him, he took notice and set is book and glasses aside.

"Yes, how may I help you..." He took a minute to count the group, which almost did take a minute due to his slow thinking, while everyone else stared awkwardly in silence "...you five this evening?"

"We'll be needing a couple of rooms for the next three nights, including tonight." Aurora informed.

"Alright, I can do that, just tell me what you're looking for."

"I'll be getting a room for myself."

"Alright, that'll be one pentra,"

Aurora grabbed the necessary coin from her bag and handed it to the slowbro who then handed her a key with a number engraved on it.

"See you all in a couple days," she said while walking off. Next, Tesla and Kindle approached the counter.

"We need a room for two," Kindle said.

"One bed?" The slowbro asked.

Kindle gave Tesla a sly smile, "No!" Tesla said angrily. "Two beds," he then said in a much calmer tone.

"That'll be two pentra,"

Tesla exchanged his coins for a key as he and Kindle headed upstairs to their room as well.

"We're also sharing a room," Flint began, "one bed is fine."

"Okay, that'll be one pentra and two silvin."

Flint wondered why the price was different but assumed it had to do something with the number of beds. He pulled out one of the golden pentagon-shaped coin and two silver triangular-shaped coins and handed it to the slowbro. Once he recieved his key, he saw the numbers '437' carved into the key. That meant they were in the thirty seventh room on the fourth floor, but the had to climb up to the branches before they reached the first floor.

Flint and Rose then entered throgh the base of the tree. After looking up the long spiral stairs, Flint decided he would carry Rose up them. Rose had fallen asleep while Flint worked his way up the tree, after a while, he entered into a lobby area. There were paths that went in different directions lined with rooms, Flint knew he had reached the first floor and has to go up three more. The second, third and fourth floors were all met with similar looking lobbies.

Once Flint was in the fourth floor lobby, he noticed four paths with signs next to them. One read '10-19,' while another read '20-29' and so on. Flint walked throgh the path labeled '30-39.' The paths were thick branches of the tree that were carved flat so it would be easier to walk on. Flint noticed the even number rooms were on his right side, while the odds were to his left. He continued walking until he found his room, '437.'

Flint grabbed the key from his bag and placed it in his maw, he then inserted the key into its hole and turned the lock. Once the door was unlocked, he pushed the door open and walked inside setting Rose down on the bed, which was in the back corner of the room. The entire room was made of wood to match the tree. There was a red circular carpet in the center of the room, a chest on the right side of the room used for storage. In the back left corner was a desk and chair, on top of the desk was a candle and a quill. The left side of the room had a tub and cleaning material. Up against the very back wall was a sliding door that led to a balcony, the doorway was covered by a curtain of leafs.

After setting his bag down, Flint shut the door to his room and ensured it was locked. He then walked over towards the bed and put a blanket over Rose. He then went to the other side and covered himself with the blanket and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

"Now poor 'ol Nixie is bout to die," the shiftry said to Nixie who was wrapped in the claws of a drapion.

"What do ya ave in mind?" The drapion asked.

"I say we make it slow," he said with a grin.

Nixie seemed to show no more emotion. She didn't feel like there really was anything to live for at this point. She just saw the last of her colony slaughtered by these strangers, and now she, the 'cursed buizel,' was the last alive.

"Hmm, we need to think this one out," the shiftry started.

"I know, we could slowly pull all o' er limbs off one by one."

"Seems a lil too boring. We could dissect er alive?"

"Ye, that's it. Aven't done that one in a long while."

The drapion then slammed Nixie against the log with his claws around her shoulders and dug into the log. The shiftry approached her with his leaf as sharp as a razor. He then slowly brought it down near her stomach.

Nixie tried squirming free, but it was no use under the drapion's claws. She then wanted to try stalling somehow, "What can you tell me about my curse?" She asked as it was still on her mind.

The shifty suddenly retracted his leaf blade, "The curse? Oh yeah, we lied bout it to scare the others. Might as well tell ya since yous about ta die."

"Wait, so I'm not cursed?" She asked with a bit of relief.

"Onestly, I don't know, nor care. Never seen a buizle wit different color eyes."

"Then why did you attack the colony?"

"Ya sure do ask a lot of questions don't ya?"

"You said you were going to kill me anyway, shouldn't I at least get the right to know _why_ you were doing it in the first place?"

"I don't ave to tell ya anything. Now, let me continue what I was doin.'"

Before Nixie could protest, he brought his blade back down near her stomach and prepared to carve into her. Nixie's breaths began quickening, she could feel his cold blade against her and she couldn't do anything but brace for pain. The leaf then punctured right into the flesh, Nixie gasped in pain. Slowly, the shiftry carved upwards to her chest, leaving a fresh tail of blood trickling out of her wound. Nixie was now shrieking in pain, which only made the drapion and shiftry more pleased. The shiftry removed his leaf which was now coated in blood at the tip. He brought it back to where he stated and prepared to dig deeper into the flesh.

A crackling sound then filled the air. The shiftry stopped immediately and began looking around, as did the drapion. Without warning, a bolt of lightning flew directly into the drapion's chest. He released Nixie while clutching he's chest. The two were now on guard, ignoring Nixie who was in too much pain to do anything. Another bolt of lightning flew across the sky and into the drapion's back.

"Who the fuck is there?" The drapion yelled angrily.

He was met with silence before a figure emerged from the trees. The creature stood on four legs, his primary fur was black, while his other features were yellow. It was a shiny manetric. Around his neck was a necklace with an oval shaped yellow gem that sparkled.

The drapion squinted his eyes, "You Mardol scum, stickin' your noses where they don't belong."

"Ye, but e's alone, we can take im," the shiftry said.

"He's not alone," another voice spoke, this one being male.

Emerging from the other side was a bipedal creature with blue and white fur. It was a meowstic. On his back was a sword that was glowing pink, and around his neck was a necklace that had a purplish pink oval shaped gem that sparkled.

"You get the manetric," the shiftry spoke, "I'll get the meowstic."

The drapion began approaching the manetric who had electricity encircling his body while standing defensively. The drapion decided to start the battle by firing a storm of spikes near the manetric, the manetric simply dodged them while trying to avoid falling in the mud. As he observed the spikes that now littered the terrain, he saw they had a purple ooze dropping out of them. The manetric then released the electricity dancing around him, it latched onto the drapion and tensed his muscles up, possibly paralyzing him.

The manetric continued his momentum while charging towards the drapion. Electricity began developing around his teeth, he then jumped towards the drapion and bit down onto his neck. However, it was hard as a rock and the electricity just bounced off. The drapion had used protect, his claws were now glowing purple and he jabbed the manetric in his stomach sending him back into the tree.

Meanwhile, the shiftry was preparing to attack the meowstic. The shiftry looked him up and down and charged towards him with his leaf blades. The meowstic quickly grabbed the hilt of his blade and slashed towards the shiftry. The shiftry's leafs were just as hard as his blade and caused sparks to fly as they collided with the sword. The shiftry decided to jump back to a safe distance and prepare his next attack.

The shiftry put his leaf hands together and began forming a black ball that he then fired at the meowstic. He then quickly followed behind the ball with his blades ready again. The meowstic jumped backwards away from the ball, his feet landed on the side of a tree. He then pushed forward with his legs and launched himself at the shiftry. He barely dodged the shiftry's blade, but on his way down he was able to slice his right leg causing him to lose his balance and fall.

The shiftry quickly turned around and lunged forward pointing his blades at the meowstic's chest. The meowstic parried with his sword. Then within a matter of seconds, the meowstic's eyes flashed briefly, he then unfolded his ears revealing his concealed eyes, afterwards he wrapped the shiftry in an aura that prevented him from moving.

The shiftry squirmed in frustration but couldn't move, "What is this bull shit?"

"I used miracle eye, it allows my psychic abilities to work against dark types," the meowstic explained.

The manetric was now finishing up his battle as he got up off the tree, he felt a stinging pain against his back but ignored it for now. The manetric coated himself in electricity and charged towards the drapion almost at the speed of light. He shoved his pointed head into the drapion's stomach, the impact causing a wound to open up, while the electricity was sent inside the victims body. The drapion spasmed on the ground for a few seconds, afterwards he laid still breathing faintly.

The manetric walked over to Nixie, "Are you alright ma'am?" He asked.

Nixie was breathless at first, she thought she was surly going to die, then these two new strangers showed up and saved her. "Yes," she finally replied, "thank you."

"It's a pleasure to help those in need," he had just now noticed the wound carved into her, "Goodness! You're bleeding! Psyche, we need to get her beck to the camp, fast!" He called to the meowstic known as Psyche.

"You take her to the camp, Rykon, I'll handle these two for now."

With a nod, the manetric known as Rykon gently picked up Nixie and placed her on his back while heading back to the camp. As he started leaving, Nixie noticed there were many holes along Rykon's back, a mixture of blood and a purple liquid oozed from the holes. Nixie then also remembered the drapion using toxic spikes at the beginning of the battle, he must of been thrush into the spikes and hadn't noticed.

"Rykon..." she weakly said, as the blood lose and pain were starting to make her faint.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Your...poisoned..."

"Poisoned? How?" He then stopped his movements.

"You landed...on the toxic spikes...after he hit you..."

"Shit..." He said to himself, "I can't move too much or else the poison will spread quickly, but I Also need to move so I can get you to the medics at the camp. Just hold tight, I'll try and be quick."

Rykon then gathered his strength and ran back to his camp, ignoring the fact that he was quickening the spread of his poison. Nixie could barely stay conscious at this point and slowly began seeing black until she had fully fainted.

Psyche pointed his blade towards the shiftry's throat, "Start talking," he demanded.

"What the ell do ya wanna know? Ya don't just demand me ta talk of I don't know what ya want."

"Tenebris, what is he planning?"

"I can't tell ya, even if I knew, I couldn't."

"But he is planning something?"

"Maybe e is maybe e isn't, ow should I know?"

"Maybe I'll kill you maybe I won't, just give me some answers. Anything, something."

"What's it matter, I'm not useful towards that power ungry umbreon."

"Then what are you doing out here killing the buizel colony for?"

"Ow do you know bout that?"

"Just answer the question."

"Onestly, I don't know. Tenebris just told us ta kill 'em, so we did."

"You're not even the slightest bit curious why he might be doing it?"

"No, not really, I don't question is authority. It's best not to upset im...or the others" he added.

"The others?" Psyche inquired.

"Ye, ya know, the other royal leaders."

"Where are they?"

"Ow the ell should I know, I just do what Tenebris wants. Why, ya plan on killin' 'em?"

"Yes actually, we are at war after all."

"You pokemon of Mardol are all stupid, there's no way you stand a chance against Zerith, the Dark Legion controls the whole place, and the army is probably three times bigger than whatever you managed to scrounge up. Not only that, but you also have the Jagorii to worry about."

"We don't care, we're fighting for what's just and equality of all pokemon. We don't need you to push your mentality of 'no weak pokemon deserve to live.' We want a better world to live in and you all have prevented it for decades."

"Pfft, 'equality of pokemon.' Bet it applies to all but us dark types, don't it?"

"Wrong, we have dark pokemon living in Mardol. Many may not be too found of the idea, but we want equality."

"I don't ave time to argue with you, if your gonna kill me, kill me already. If not, then just leave."

Psyche let out a sigh then released the shiftry from his psychic aura. He turned around and began heading to his camp. The shiftry grinned and lunged at Psyche. He had predicted this though, he quickly spun around with his blade aimed upwards. The shiftry ended up doing all of the work as he landed on the blade with it buried into his chest. His eyes were wide in sock, he felt the bite of the blade ripping throgh the front and back of him. Psyche set him on the ground and placed his foot in the shiftry's chest so he could pull the blade out. Afterwards, he continued walking until he was next to the drapion who was barely conscious.

"If you live through this," Psyche started to get his attention, "you let your leaders know the Fourth Light is still shining strong." Then he continued walking back to the camp again.

Psyche was now out of the swamp and was now approaching the camp the was set up next to the shore. More than twenty large tents were scattered about the place, three fairly big fire pits were placed around the camp, and three wooden ships were sitting out in the water waving the flag of Mardol. The flag of Mardol is a light green rectangle, in the center of the flag is a white circle, around the circle are nine red lines that point at each end. Together that makes it look like a sun. There are also two thin blue lines that run vertically, one to the left and right of the 'sun.'

After talking a breath of the fresh air, Psyche walked over to a tent that had a white flag with a red cross in the center. Once he walked in, he saw six of the twenty beds being used. One had a dratini resting on it, there were bandages around the center of its body. Another bed had an oshawott sleeping in it who had a bag of ice against its head. A fletchinder being fed medicine on another bed. There was also one were a mienfoo had its right arm amputated. The other two beds are where Nixie and Rykon were resting.

"What happened to Rykon?" Psyche asked the audino nurse.

"He was poisoned," she explained, "he nearly collapsed once he arrived. Who is the buizel though?"

"I'm not sure, but some of the Dark Legion pokemon were trying to kill her. I think she's the only survivor of her colony."

"That's terrible..." the audino said sadly.

"It is, she could be the last buizel for all we know."

"It's a good thing she's female I guess. She has a chance to bring them back."

"How is she doing by the way?"

"Her injury was pretty bad, but I was able to speed up the healing process, so she's doing just fine now. We've also drained the toxins from Rykon, so he'll be fine too. The two of them just need to rest for now."

"Very well," Psyche said with a bow of his head, "I'll be back in a couple hours to visit again."

Psyche walked out of the tent and headed back to the shore, he was greeted by several pokemon as he walked by. Psyche was now looking out into the ocean, the rising sun gleaming off its surface. After a couple more seconds of staring into the horizon, a lapras emerged from the water.

"Need a lift to the ship, Psyche?" She asked

"Yes, I actually would appreciate that. Thank you Arctica."

"No problem! Hop on," she said cheerfully.

Psyche hopped into the rocky back of the lapras who was known as Arctica. She then smoothly drifted towards the middle of the three ships, which was also the biggest. The ships were a nice mahogany wood smoothed and sanded down, they also had three masts boasting dozens of sails. Along each of the sides were canons. At the moment, the pokemon that weren't at camp were cleaning the ships and watching over them. Arctica pulled up next to a set of ladders that crawled up along the hull of the ship. Psyche gave his thanks again and climbed the ladders until he reached the main deck of the ship.

He walked over to his cabin and entered it. The inside looked like an office, there was a rectangular desk that had a clutter of papers and a map. Along the walls were two paintings of pokemon famous to Mardol, one was a ninetails and the other was an espeon. Underneath the ninetails printing was an empty display case, which was for Psyche's sword. Underneath the espeon painting was a small bookcase. Finally, in the center of the room was a metal bowl filed with water, the bowl was raised with a tripod.

Psyche first sat in his chair behind his desk and opened a drawer. He then grabbed a rag and began cleaning the blood from his sword. Once he was content, he placed it in its display case. He then took his necklace off and approached the bowl. He dropped the necklace in the bowl and the liquid began lighting up.

The next thing he heard was a voice enter his head, "Psyche?" a feminine voice spoke, "what is it you need?"

Using telepathy, Psyche then spoke back, "Princess Starshine, I've finished scouting the swamp as you asked."

"Good, what's the news?"

"As we had expected, Tenebris sent pokemon to wipe out the buizel colony, there was only one survivor that we know of."

"What did you do with the survivor?"

"I've brought her back to our camp, she's recieving medical care as of now."

"Alright. Any other details about the swamp? What was Tenebris planning?"

"That is what I'm still unsure of. Rykon and I only found two pokemon who were part of the Dark Legion. I interrogated one of them and he didn't know anything, he told me only the royal leaders would know. I then tried to find their locations, but they aren't informed about anything Tenebris was doing."

"Tenebris was probably planning for something like this to happen. The people he sent, did they seem not too smart at all?"

"Well, now that you've mentioned it, the way they talked was slightly different, they had an odd accent to them. Their attack behavior was nothing but aggressive and predictable."

"Then it was all planned out... somehow he knew we would be there, so he sent pokemon who don't truly know what he's planning. If he knows that much, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows about your camp's location as well. I suggest you all stay alert and be safe in your travels back."

"Yes, speaking of which, are we granted permission to travel back now that we've done what you've asked? Or do you need us to stay out here longer?"

"No, I need you all to come back, if this is all planned, then you're all sitting ducklette waiting to be slaughtered, leave at your earliest convenience."

"Understood."

The water stopped glowing and Psyche grabbed for his necklace and put it back on. He then headed back outside and headed towards the side of the ship. Arctica was still floating nearby. He whistled for her attention. After noticing him, she swam beck to the ship which he then hopped into her back.

Back at the hospital tent, Nixie was now waking up. She felt sore and groggy. She sat up and examined her surroundings, she was unsure where she was. She cringed a little looking at all of the other wounded pokemon, which then reminded her of her own wounds. She was surprised when she looked down and realized the cut had already been heald.

"Looks like you're finally up," Rykon spoke to her.

She was startled nit knowing Rykon was awake, "Where am I?"

"Don't worry, you're safe here. Just take it easy, you still need to recover."

"You're okay? I thought you were pois-"

"It's okay, they removed the toxins from my body. But my wounds are of no importance. How do you feel?"

"A little sore to be honest, but other than that, I'm doing better than earlier."

"That's good to hear."

"Wait, you risked your life to save me...why?"

"It's what we do here in the Fourth Light, we save those in need of help."

"You could of died though..."

"It would have been alright as long as you survived, I would have done my job and saved another pokemon in need."

Nixie couldn't help but fell strange about the fact that a stranger would save her. No one had been that nice to her, but now another thing was on her mind, "Who are you? I never got your name."

"My name is Rykon. Come to think of it, I never got your name either."

"Nixie," she said.

"Nixie? Hmm, I like it, it suits you."

"Really? How so?"

"Is cute, just like you," Rykon said with a wink.

Nixie felt slightly uncomfortable about how forward the manetric was being note, "I-"

Psyche had then entered the tent, "Ah, you two are finally awake. Good. Rykon, ready your ship for departure, I'll be speaking with this buizel real quick."

"We're finally leaving?" Rykon asked.

"Yes, and it's quite imperative we leave as soon as possible."

"Why's that?"

"I'll explain later, now go."

"Alright, I'll ready the ship," he said to psyche, then he turned to Nixie, "and I'll see you later cutie." He then got up and left the tent.

"I hate it when he does that," Psyche said.

"Does what," Nixie then asked.

"I'm sure it's obvious he has an interest in you isn't it?"

"Yes, it's a little disturbing."

"Good, stay away from him. He sees women as numbers rather than pokemon, so avoid too much contact with him."

"Alright... So where am I?"

"Right now you're on the shore of Zerith, and you'll be heading with us to Mardol. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay here where the Dark Legion presence is increasing."

"I think it's best if I leave with you. I didn't get your name, I wanted to thank you as well for saving me back there."

"The name is Psyche, pleasure to meet you," he said while extending his hand.

Nixie was confused on why his hand was just sitting there, "What are you doing?"

"It's a greeting, you grab my hand and then we shake hands with each other."

"That's a bizarre way to greet one another."

Psyche retracted his hand, "Anyway, now that you know my name, you should probably tell me yours."

"Nixie."

"Alright, I have a couple questions I want to ask you Nixie. The first is in regards to your colony, do you know why Tenebris targeted them?" Though he knew the shiftry knew nothing, he wanted to see if she by chance knew anything else.

"No, I know nothing about it. I asked the drapion and shiftry from earlier, but they never gave me an exact reason. Do you know why?"

"I'm afraid I don't. The people of Mardol have been trying to figure it out for a while now, but we've been unsuccessful finding his motives for doing so. Next question, are you the last of your colony, or are there still more hiding?"

Nixie's face saddened after the question and Psyche felt he already knew the answer, "I'm the last of them. I witnessed every last one of them die. Our leader sent five of us out to hopefully continue the buizel colony, but the drapion and shiftry from earlier killed the other four..." Nixie's eyes had began forming tears inside them.

"I'm sorry for what happened Nixie, and I assure you we'll bring justice to Tenebris for causing you this pain. Now I have one final question, only because I'm curious to know this. Why are your eyes two different colors?"

Nixie let out a sigh, "I'm not too sure, they've been like this since I was born. Most pokemon called it a curse and others called it a birth defect caused from being inbred. Now no matter where I go I'm cursed with others having to see my imperfection."

"I don't see anything wrong with having two colored eyes, I think it's pretty interesting. You know, the founder of Mardol had two color eyes?"

Nixie actually perked up a little and was a little surprised too that he didn't see her in a negative way for her eyes, "Really?"

"Indeed, it's seen as a blessing for pokemon to have two different colored eyes, it's even a superstition that those who have them have been blessed by the founder themselves."

Nixie smiled at his comment, and now she felt relieved to go to Mardol where she wouldn't be accused or frowned upon for her eyes.

"How are you feeling by the way? Are you able to walk?"

Nixie looked down at her torso, she didn't feel anymore pain, but hadn't tried moving. She sat up and stretched her body. Afterwards she hopped off of her cot and found it easy to walk again.

"Good, we'll be leaving in just a couple of hours. You'll be living on my ship as we voyage beck to Mardol. If you want I'll take you there right now while every one else is packing up."

"How long will the trip be?"

"Hmm, hard to say. If the wind is just right, it'll take three to five days. We'll see how everything turns out."

Nixie and Psyche had exited the tent and headed into the center of the camp. Psyche had then informed the others about their departure and had them begin readying for their voyage. Afterwards, Psyche led Nixie to the shore and waited.

"How do you all get to the ships?" Nixie questioned.

"You'll see here shortly."

As if on cue, a lapras emerged from the water, the same one Psyche had rode the previous time. Psyche hopped on Arctica's rocky shell then turned to Nixie to offering his hand to help her up. She seemed a little unsure at first, but then took Psyche's hand and was atop the shell. Her and Psyche then sat down while Arctica swam to the ship.

"Nixie, this is Arctica, she's one of the lapras that carry the pokemon from the shore to the ship and vice versa."

"Hello Nixie!" Arctica said ecstatically.

"Hello," Nixie replied slightly nervous. "Who carries the bigger pokemon though? I saw pokemon beck there that seemed too heavy to ride a lapras."

"That's why we also have a wailord, he helps carry those larger or heavier loads. Also if we're in a hurry he can carry large amounts of small pokemon too."

Arctica had then stopped next to the ladders that traveled up the side of the ship. Psyche gestured for Nixie to climb up and did so. They then reached the main deck of the ship.

"Welcome aboard the MS Storm Bringer, the finest vessel Mardol has."

Psyche then began showing Nixie around the ship, including all the areas around the main deck of the ship. The deck below them was the weapon room, ten canons along both the port and starboard side of the ship, there were also two located at the stern and bow of the ship, making twenty-four canons in total. The weapon room was aligned with wooden beams along the center, and next to each canon was a pile of canon balls and gun powder barrels. The next deck down was the eating area. Long tables were scattered in the room. In the aft section of the room was a doorway that led to a kitchen that prepared food. The third deck down was the living quarters, hammocks were located just about everywhere and were set up like triple bunk beds. Some were larger than others. The living quarters also doubled as a storage room. Large circular barrels contained food, fresh water, wine, and trading goods. The final deck below them was nothing but an empty space used to make the ship stay buoyant. This room was accessible in case there were any leaks needed to be patched.

Psyche and Nixie then headed beck to the main deck, Psyche decided to show her to his office. Nixie seemed to enjoy that quaint room, her eyes scanned around the room and noticed how it looked better than the rest of the ship. Her attention then focused on the painting of the ninetails, she noticed it had two colored eyes. The left one was red while the right was blue.

"Is this the founder you were talking about?" Nixie asked.

"Indeed it is. That's lady Mirrosa. Her name is also a combination of two Avarian words; mirr, meaning fire, and osa, meaning wind."

"Avarian?" Nixie asked perplexed.

"Yes, Avarian is an alternate language created long ago and was used by many of our ancestors. Some pokemon are named in Avarian, like Rykon. Ry is the Avarian word for electrical or it was lightning, maybe it was both?" He asked himself unsure, "Anyway, and kon meaning strike."

"Where can I learn more about this Avarian language?"

"It just so happens that my wife teaches the language, along with many other things."

"What do you mean other things?"

"Well, she teaches psychic abilities to others, battling, anger management," he laughed to himself specifically after that one, "and a small handful of other things you could find useful. She's like a mentor to help those in need."

"Interesting."

"Indeed. Anyway, I think we should get ready for the voyage, the others are now on their way back to the ships. You can stay in here while I get the ship ready."

Psyche left the office and Nixie decided to look around the room. Her attention was then drawn to the painting of the espeon, 'Who's that?' she asked herself. She noticed the espeon was wearing a silky white cape as well as a golden tiara that had the design of maple leafs around it. Lastly, she was also wearing a silver necklace that had a dark blue shard attached to it. Nixie was curious to know more about who the espeon was, she decided she would ask psyche once he got back. Another thing that grabbed her attention was the bowl filled with water. For now she found a chair and chose to sit there and wait for Psyche to return.

Outside, the rest of the pokemon were now boarding the ships carrying many supplies with them. Psyche was directing others where to go and place things as were the captains of the other two ships. Rykon was in charge of the ship to the left of Psyche's, while an altaria took charge of the other.

Of in the distance from the ships was a cliff that hung over the ocean. On top of the cliff was a mismagius watching as the ships prepared to leave. Her attention was on the Mardol flags that waved valiantly in the wind. She gnashed her teeth just looking at its colors. After spending what she felt was too much time watching the ships, she slowly faded back into the trees along side the cliff.

* * *

 _ **Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. I actually enjoy writing about Nixie, ever since I started doing this rewrite, I've been mainly working on her and Rose. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I hope that what happens later with them is interesting. Anyway, I'll see you all next chapter.**_


	8. Chapter 7: A Day Off

_**Chapter 7**_

 _ **A Day Off**_

The sun shone across the land of Mardol marking a new day. Flint and Rose were having the greatest rest they've had in a while, their muscles were relaxed along the soft cloth of their mattress. Enough time had passed to where Rose could no longer sleep, her eyes opened and they were invaded by the sunlight she hadn't seen for over a day. She went to rub her paw against her eyes, but then remembered her broken leg. She let out a disappointed sigh, then continued to rub the sleep out of her eye using her other paw. With a stretch she hopped out of bed and walked towards the window. The weight shift on the mattress caused Flint to wake up as well.

He looked around and spotted Rose, "Up so soon?"

"Soon? The sun is past the horizon, sleepy head."

Flint flopped his head back on the mattress, "It's still too early, and you need to rest your leg a little more."

"That sounds boring, why can't we do something fun?"

"Like what?" Flights voice muffled into the mattress.

"I don't know, let's go explore Bark Leaf and see what there is to do. We haven't relaxed in over a week."

"Okay, fine," Flint said while stretching and yawning. "Fist we need to bathe, there is a bathtub right here. You can bathe first while I see what everyone else has planned for the day."

Rose nodded and Flint left the room. He headed down to where Tesla and Kindle's room was. Flint knocked on the door and waited for a response. After a few seconds Kindle had answered the door.

"Oh, hi Flint! What brings you here?"

"I was just dropping by to see what you two had planned for the day."

Kindle looked over her shoulder, Tesla was asleep on his mattress. "I think he plans on sleeping all day, I might see what's around town, maybe shop a little."

"Maybe you could join Rose and I? We were doing the same."

"Sounds great! When did you want to leave?"

"Well, Rose is bathing right now and then I'm going to, so after that all be ready."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll watch over Rose while you get ready if you'd like?"

"That would be nice. She might be done now, I'll had back over and check."

Kindle decided to follow Flint. After they reached the room Flint knocked on his door making sure it was safe to enter.

"Flint?" Rose replied from the other side, her voice sounding uneasy.

"Yes, are you alright?"

"N-no, I'm bleeding..."

Flint suddenly became worried and rushed into the room. As he entered he saw bloody water in the tub and Rose covering herself in a slightly blood stained towel.

"What happened?" Flint asked protctively while approaching Rose.

"I don't know."

"Don't know? Where are you bleeding from?"

Rose hesitated to respond and noticed Kindle was in the room as well, "Why's Kindle here?"

Flint noticed she felt a little uneasy and avoided his question, "Kindle, could you step outside real quick?" She nodded and left the room, shutting the door as well. "Where are you bleeding from?" Flint asked again.

Rose still hesitated, she didn't seem nervous, rather embarrassed, "...Between my legs," she finally said while pulling the towel away a little bit revealing the blood that dripped out.

"Oh no..." Flint said to himself. He then began to have another flash back.

* * *

The blood then stopped flowing into Flint's mouth, feeling a little safer, he pulled his teeth out of the neck of the zangoose. His lifeless eyes staring back into Flint's.

"What have I done?" Flint said feeling guilty for killing the zangoose.

Suddenly another growlithe tackled him into an embracing hug, "Oh, Flint, thank arceus you're alive," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Nevermind me, are _you_ alright?" Flint now almost forgetting about the zangoose.

"Yes, I am now that you saved me," she said while nuzzling into his neck. "Thank you, Flint."

Flint seemed to ignore her affection, "You're welcome, Adara. Why did the zangoose attack you? I never saw what happened, I just saw him, well, um, try satisfying himself."

Adara slightly pushed herself away from Flint and looked towards the ground, "I think it's because I'm in heat."

"In heat?" Flint asked, tilting his head, unsure what it meant.

For some reason Adara seemed slightly annoyed, "It means I'm horny, Flint, I want to fuck a lot of growlithe, but I can't because I know I actually don't want to. It's just my urges..."

"Oh..." Flint seemed a little weird about the matter. He then noticed blood dripping down her hinde legs, "Adara, you're hurt," he said with concern again.

She looked down and noticed her blood as well, "Oh, that's nothing. That's just part of being in heat I guess. I don't know, it's how mother explained it to me, she said that whenever I bleed means I'm able to bare children. But then some of the other female growlithe told me that being in heat makes us really horny and we can hardly control our lustful impulses."

"So he attacked you because you're in heat?"

"Yes, I came out here to have a little self control and to resist my urges, but I guess he smelt my scent and wanted to have his way. Thankfully he didn't. You saved me, Flint, and I'm thankful for that." She was brushing her fur against Flint slightly seductively now.

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help."

"Is there a way I could repay you, Flint?" Adara now had her nose touching against Flint's, looking lustful into his eyes causing him to faintly blush as he understood what she was implying.

* * *

Flint shook the thoughts out of his head. He was embarrassed having walked in while Rose was bleeding for the fist time. Though, he never knew how old Rose was, he now could confirm she was mature enough to breed.

"What do I do?" Rose asked completely confused on the entire situation.

"Oh arceus, how do I explain this?" Flint thought to himself. "Would you mind if Kindle came in, she could probably explain what's happening better than I could."

"Wait, you know what's happening?"

Flint nodded, "Yes, well, kind of. What you're going through only happens to female pokemon, hence why I'd rather Kindle explain this to you."

"O-okay," Rose stuttered nervously cringing at the sight of her blood.

Flint then explained to Kindle what was happening and asked her to explain to Rose what she was going through

"Hmm," Kindle began, "where should I start? Have you bled before or is this your first time?"

"This is the first I've noticed."

"How much do you know about reproduction?" Rose stared at her with a blank expression, choosing silence as an answer. "Flint, have you talked to Rose about the birds and the combee yet?"

"No, I didn't know if she was ready or not."

"Well, she needs to know sometime. She's bleeding right now, the first cycle of her heat. In about a week will be when her hormones act impulsively."

Flint felt pale, but Rose was still confused on the matter. "What's the 'cycle of my heart' mean?"

"First, I should tell you about what being in heat is. This is the sign that your body is now ready and capable of reproducing. The first cycle is when you bleed from your," Kindle decided to cough instead of saying the word. "It usually lasts about a week or so. After that, your body is going to feel different, you're going to crave something you don't know about, but you can resist your body's urges if you have the willpower. Luckily, you're an eevee, you only have one heat cycle a year. As you've noticed, it's spring, so every spring you'll have a repeat of this."

All of the information seemed like a lot for Rose, but she somehow managed to retain it. "You said that my body is now ready to reproduce. What does that mean?"

"Flint, I think you should give her 'the talk.'"

Flint looked nervous, he never had to explain to someone what sex was and now realized how weird it must of been when it was explained to him. "Umm, well..." he scratched behind his head. "You see how you have a hole between your legs?" Rose slowly nodded. "That's a female reproductive organ, males have a different type of reproductive organ that goes inside that hole."

"Eww, why?" Rose said in disgust.

"That's how reproduction works. A male that loves a female puts his... thing inside your hole."

"It sounds awkward how your describing it," Kindle said, "just use the actual words instead of thing and hole."

"R-right. A male inserts his penis inside your vagina. There's a fluid that comes out of a male's penis known as sperm. Inside your body is an egg, when the sperm mixes with the egg, that starts the process of a baby being born."

"Wait," Rose spoke up, "so this is how babies are made?" Flint nodded his head. "That's... weird... and gross. What do we do now?"

"There's not much we can do about it," Kindle spoke. "We just have to let it pass. From the sounds of it, you'll be in your second stage either on the way to Whitestone, or when you're already there. Just be cautious."

"What about the bleeding?"

"Well, they just so happen make things for that. I'll lend you some when we go to my room while Flint bathes."

Speaking of which, Flint now noticed he was hungry and wanted to get his mind off the subject. "Alright, I think we should start getting ready, I'm already hungry. Who knows what this place has to offer food wise."

Everyone seemed to drop the subject. Kindle took Rose to her room while Flint bathed and retrieved his coin pouch. Afterwards, the three left the Rusty Wood Inn and walked the paths of Bark Leaf. The town looked even more gorgeous in the daytime. The roads and paths were lined with a wide variety of flowers displaying a large spectrum of vibrant colors. Warm breezes passed through the town, rustling the plants and relaxing the three. The town's folk all seemed happy and greeted of another as they passed.

Eventually, they had reached an area of the town that was like a market. The streets were littered with pokemon. There were lines at wagons that has been delivering fresh produce seeking Mardol. Seeing the wagons reminded Flint of Idwon, he wondered where he would be now that he's most likely finished taking Emalra to Whitestone. Other attractions on the streets were street performers, a couple of pubs, as well as a place that had a brute looking pokemon standing in front of a door allowing certain pokemon inside.

"I suppose we could get some food at a pub?" Flint suggested.

"Will they allow Rose inside one?" Kindle asked.

"I guess we'll have to find out."

Flint then walked through the crowd as Kindle and Rose followed. Rose tried her best to stay at Flint's side. Flint decided to pick a pub at random, he ended up heading towards a pub known as ' The Drunken Pearl.' Like every other building in Bark Leaf, the pub was built into a tree. Inside, the pub had about four separate floors. The scenery was nice. The bartenders wore silky black ties while the waitresses had silky black bowties. The tree was lit up by purple, magical, flames that made anything white more vibrant. Rose noticed this as she looked at her collar fur, although not entirely white, was still light enough to change. The music was being played was very smooth and relaxing.

A roselia had notice them walk in "Good morning," she started with a soothing voice, "welcome to The Drunken Pearl, if you follow me I'll show you three to your table."

They then followed the roselia as she sat them in a booth that had three menus on it. Rose and Flint sat on one side while Kindle sat across from the two.

"Should I get you all started with a drink?"

"I'll have a water," Flint said.

"Water as well," Rose then said.

"I'll have a green tea, thank you," Kindle finished.

"Alright, I'll be back with your beverages momentarily," the waitresses said before departing.

"This place looks pretty eloquent," Kindle admired.

"That's what I'm slightly afraid of, this place could be out of my price range."

Kindle glanced through the menu, "Everything seems reasonably priced, this could just be a popular pub so they put there expenses into the decor."

"That's a relief, I guess. What do you think, Rose?" Rose seemed to be staring off in the distance, unfocused on the casual conversation. "Rose?"

She snapped back into reality, "Huh? Oh, um, sure," she said, not really sure what to say.

"Are you feeling okay, Rose?"

The forced smile she had on then turned into a frown, "no..."

"What's wrong?" Flint said while rubbing a paw along her back.

"I don't know, I'm still lost in thought about the whole in heat thing. It all feels strange. I'm not even sure what to think about the second cycle that Kindle explained. Craving something I didn't know I want. What does that even mean?"

"We shouldn't talk about this in public, it'd be best to wait until we get back to our room."

As Flint finished his sentence, the waitress had brought everyone their respected drinks. Afterwards the group had ordered their meals for the morning and waited for their food.

* * *

Meanwhile, beck at the inn, Tesla was just waking up. As his eyes opened, he was somewhat glad to see he was alone. He threw the sheets off of himself and stretched his tired body. After getting ready for the day, he left the inn to see what there was around town.

In another room was Aurora, she was already up for the day. Currently she was searching through her backpack for a certain item. After feeling a round metallic object, she pulled it out. It was a bowl. Next she pulled out a stand for the small bowl to sit on then filled the bowl with water. After the process was done, she grabbed her necklace and dropped it into the water. After doing so, the water began to glow a white light.

"Aurora," greeted a telepathic voice in her head.

"Good morning princess Starshine, I've come to inform you on the status of my current objective."

"Proceed."

"All has gone well so far, except for the lost crew I informed you about. As of recently, I've hired a few bounty hunters to help escort me back to Whitestone."

"How many have you hired?"

"Four, except one is a child."

"Thats strange. Anyway, I'd assume they'll be needing a reward of sorts?"

"Correct. There's namely a growlithe and a mareep who seem interested in riches. The other two aren't as concerned. The child seems to of been forced to come along and had slowed our progress a bit..."

"How so?"

"Well, we had another encounter with Frostbite as we traveled through the mountain cave. We were able to defend ourselves and the you know what. Anyway, near the end of the battle, Frostbite had broken the child's leg, so progress has been slowed a little and we are currently in Bark Leaf letting her heal a little. We'll be leaving after tomorrow night."

"Then I assume you should be here within four days. If need be, we can have our medical experts treat the child's broken leg."

"Your highness there is one last bit of information I feel I should tell you about this child."

"Go on."

Aurora paused before answering, "She's an eevee."

"Are yo- are you sure?" Starshine stammered in shock.

Aurora found the question a little silly and would have given a sarcastic response of it wasn't the princess, "Yes, m'lady."

"..." Starshine was unsure how to respond until she then realized something. "Wait, you said you had an encounter with Frostbite, so he's aware of the eevee's presence as well?"

"Yes, he seemed to target her because she's the weakest of the four."

"This could be bad. If Frostbite is thinking what I'm thinking, then he had possibly informed Tenebris of her existence. If Tenebris has found out, then..." she was lost in thought. "You need to get to Whitestone, as soon as possible."

"Should we leave tomorrow instead?"

"Yes, the sooner the better. You all could be in danger right about now."

* * *

Flint, Kindle, and Rose were now leaving after enjoying a filling meal. Almost too conveniently, as they exited the building, they saw Tesla walking among the crowd.

"Tesla!" Kindle called to him.

Tesla's faced them and already lost interest, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out?"

Tesla for the most part didn't enjoy being around Kindle since he saw her every day. He didn't care much for Rose, but also didn't have anything against her. He did feel at ease around Flint, he even defended him when Aurora didn't want to share the treasure with Tesla.

"What are your plans?"

"I don't know, we're just checking out the town. These streets are beautiful and the market is filled with enticing aromas galore. There's just so much to do here."

"I was looking forward to go to a tavern, want to join me Flint?" Tesla offered.

"Uh, I don't know, I haven't drank in a while and I'm watching after Rose right now."

"Kindle, would you mind watching Rose for the day?"

"I'd love to, as long as she is alright with it."

The attention was now directed towards Rose who felt uneasy, "S-sure, I guess."

"Then it's settled," Tesla spoke, "let's see what the town has to offer."

Flint and Tesla walked off leaving Rose with Kindle. "What would you like to do Rose?"

"I don't know, we could see if there's anything interesting to do here in the market?"

Kindle agreed and then the two worked their way through the crowded streets. It seemed so busy and there were tons of merchants selling goods to the town's folk. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, rocks, jewelry, you name it, it was most likely in the market. Rose's ears perked up at the sound of singing. As she turned her attention, she saw two pokemon around her age singing a song with familiar lyrics. Upon further audible inspection, Rose recognized the song as 'Her Majesty.' She couldn't believe it. A couple of days ago she was sad for misplacing the book of songs that Idwon let her barrow, and now here were a couple of pokemon who knew of the song as well.

"Kindle, wait up, I want to talk to these kids."

Kindle directed her attention to them and smiled, "Sure thing."

Rose then politely waited for the group to finish their song then approached the two. One was a female whismur and they other was a male larvesta. "Hey, was that 'Her Majesty' you two were singing?"

"Yup," the two replied in unison with a happy attitude.

"I _love_ that song! I've been wanting to learn it but haven't really had something to help me memorize the lyrics."

"Hey," said the whismur, "maybe we could help teach it to you!"

"Really!? You'd do that?" Rose said trying to hide her excitement.

"Of course!" The larvesta replied. "we'd be happy to teach it to someone who's interested in the song."

"Thank you, by the way, I'm Rose." Instinctively, Rose was about to extend her right paw but was reminded it was broken, so she reached out her other paw to the whismur.

"Melody," the whismur said while shaking her paw.

"I'm Blazewing," introduced the larvesta. "If you don't mind me asking what happened to your foreleg?"

Rose hadn't expected anyone to really ask, but also had a gut feeling that she shouldn't tell the truth about it to strangers without the need to know. Telling someone that a random weaving from arceus knows where broke her leg on a battle probably wouldn't go too well. "I, uh, l-landed on my leg wrong." Luckily, the two seemed to believe her.

Kindle took note of the fact that she lied, but brushed it away, "Hey, Rose, I'm going to go look around the market a little bit, I'll meet you back here in a bit." Rose then nodded to acknowledge her.

Still curious, Rose had a question on her mind, "What exactly is the song about?"

"The song?" Melody said. "I've always believed it wad about the story of Mirrosa defending Mardol from the Dark Legion."

" No way!" Blazewing interjected. "It's a song about the current war going on in Zerith, her majesty is obviously princess Starshine and the darkness is the Dark Legion."

"Shhhhh! Don't say _that_ name so loud. Besides, I still think you're wrong, the song has existed for many of years, how could it be dedicated to Starshine?"

"Well, the term her majesty represents any queen thats been present during they war, we've had about five or seven queens during the whole war so far."

"That sounds like an excuse, none of the previous queens did anything to aid the war, only queen Blossom, the most recent queen, aided in the war after the 'king' disappeared."

The two continued arguing back and forth. Rose now understood what Idwon was saying a little more, everyone had their own interpretation as to what the song meant to them. She just needed to learn it and start finding her own meaning to its lyrical mystery.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start an argument," apologized Rose. "I'd just like to learn the song now."

"I'm sorry too," Blazewing said a little embarrassed, "I shouldn't of argued with Melody."

"Sorry," said Melody. "Anyway, let's start with the chorus, it's the easiest to learn in my opinion, its the only part that's repeated and has the title in the song, so the work becomes easier."

* * *

Meanwhile, Flint and Tesla were strolling through the streets. Flint was starting to wonder why he didn't just go back to The Drunken Pearl, but continued walking with Tesla. The sun was getting ready to set and Flint was unaware of how short the day seemed.

Tesla then stopped Flint, "What do you think about that place over there?" He said while pointing.

Flint read the sign on a tree Tesla was pointing at, "The Lusty Lopunny?"

"Yeah, they have drinks _and_ entertainment."

Flint had a gut feeling about entering said building, "What do you mean by entertainment?"

"Come on, Flint, it doesn't take a psychic type to know what that means. It means girls are there to entertain us."

"I-I don't know Tesla, I thought we were just getting drinks."

"You're not scared, are you Flint?"

"Scared? O-of course not!"

"Then why are you stuttering, hmm?" Tesla asked with a smirk.

"Maybe I'm a little nervous."

"What's wrong, never been around attractive girls before?" Tesla teased.

"I have, I just feel wrong going in there."

"Loosen up a bit, what's the worse that could happen?" Tesla said while walking over to the tree.

'A lot, honestly...' Flint thought before following Tesla.

Unlike most of the other trees, this tree was dead. The stairs lead underground. There were also bright red flames that decorated the tree's outside. The duo then walked down the stairs and into its underground interior. Standing at the door was a red colored lycanroc. Since ID verification wasn't a thing around this time era, the lycanroc would let anyone in that looked somewhat mature and paid the entrance fee, which was two bronzin.

After paying the fee, the lycanroc stepped aside and opened the door for Flint and Tesla. The underground room was also decorated with red flames. The room was filled with various conversations and laughter. There was a stage where a female vulpix was performing for her crowd. She was on her back with her legs spread apart, she was rubbing her paws around her body and groping herself seductively. She was enjoying herself just as much as her spectators. Across from the stage was the bar table, a quilava preparing drinks for his customers. Tesla and Flint found themselves a seat at the bar as the quilava approached them.

"Wot can I getcha lads today?" They quilava asked in a Scottish accent.

"I'll have a tamato berry and rum mix," Tesla said.

"I'll have vodka mixed with sitrus berry juice," said Flint.

"Tamato with rum and sitrus with vodka comin' up."

The quilava prepared their drinks while Flint and Tesla conversed with each other. They vulpix on stage had finished her performance and left the stage so the next entertainer could get ready. She noticed Flint and Tesla walk in and was interested in talking to the two.

The vixen then sat herself next to Flint just as the quilava handed them some drinks, "You're not from around here are you?"

"What makes you say that?" Flint asked while drinking his sitrus alcoholic beverage.

"I haven't seen you here before, everyone else here is a regular. It's nice to see some new faces around every once in a while." Flint just continued drinking his drink. The vulpix then whispered in his ear, "I was thinking about you while I touched myself~" Flint chocked on his drinks for a second after hearing that, the vulpix giggled to herself. "What brings you here?"

"We're bounty hunters, right now we're just visiting."

"Bounty hunters? You must be strong and brave~?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that..." Flint said while remembering his encounter with Frostbite.

"So, if you're just visiting, that means you probably have a room your staying in at an inn, right?" Flint nodded. The vulpix whispered in his ear again "How about I come over and give you some company~"

"I can't do that, I haven a child there."

The vulpix then retorted taking Flint's comment completely out of context, "Ugh, you're disgusting," she then excused herself from the table and left.

After she left, Tasla started laughing at Flint, "Nice going," he said while slapping him in the back.

"I seriously didn't mean it like that."

"Work on wording your sentences better," Tesla laughed. "You could of had her too, she's a fine looking vulpix too."

"I can't do that, I'm watching over Rose."

"I'm all about helping friends out, she could of stayed with Kindle and I for the night and you could of been banging that vulpix tonight."

Flint took note that Tesla considered him a friend, "I'm not interested in the vulpix though, sex isn't a strong interest of mine."

"Why not? Don't like the feeling? Are you a virgin? Or is your sex drive just low?"

"No, I'm not a virgin, add I do enjoy the feeling. I guess it's just rather have intercourse with a girl I care about, not just any random girl I see."

"Gotcha," Tesla said while finishing his drink. "How about a couple more drinks then we head back."

"Sure," Flint said while finishing his drink and asking for another.

* * *

"And that's about it, easy as that," Melody concluded to the newly taught eevee.

"Wow, thank you so much!"

"No problem," said Blazewing, "it was a pleasure teaching you."

Kindle was now back carrying a bag with a couple fruits, "Hello, Rose, I'm back."

"You're just in time, I finished learning 'Her Majesty' thanks to these two."

"That's great news, Rose! Anyway, we should probably head back here soon since the sun is setting."

"Alright. Well, it was nice meeting you Melody and Blazewing."

"Take care," said Melody.

"Nice meeting you too," Blazewing said.

Kindle and Rose head then set off beck to the inn they were staying at. After they climbed up the spiral stairs, they saw Aurora standing outside her room with an impatient look on her face.

"Hello Aurora," greeted Kindle. "what's up?"

"I've been needing to tell you all that we have to leave a little early. I can't go too much into the reason why, but I need you to make sure Flint and Tesla know as well."

"Oh, okay. Guess we'll see you tomorrow." Aurora ignored them and went beck inside her room.

"What was that all about?" Asked Rose.

"Beats me," Kindle shrugged. "You can stay in my room and wait for Flint of you'd like."

"Okay."

A couple hours later, Flint and Tesla were walking into the inn. Flint had to use his body to support the completely intoxicated mareep as they walked up the stairs. To say the least, it was more tiring than when he carried Rose up them last night. Flint then walked him to his room and knocked on the door.

Kindle then opened the door, "Hello you two, looks like you had a good night."

"It was... interesting..." Flint said.

"Oh, by the way, Aurora said we have to leave tomorrow instead. She didn't tell me why, but it sounded important."

"Tomorrow!" Exclaimed Tesla, "I fucking hate Aurora and her last minute shit."

"He's a little... drunk by the way."

"A little?" Kindle joked.

"Anyway, how was your two's day?"

"Mine was fine, Rose seemed to have a better day."

"Oh?"

"Flint," Rose then said, "guess what."

"What is it little one?"

"I met these two pokemon today who were singing in the market area and they taught me how to sing 'Her Majesty.'"

"Thats awesome," Flint said with a smile. "We should get back to our room now, especially since we have to get up a little earlier now that we're leaving."

Rose and Flint then made their way out of the room after exchanging good nights with Kindle and Tesla. Afterwards, Kindle then snuggled up in her blanket and closed her eyes to sleep. However, a strange feeling kept her awake. She opened her eyes and see Tesla still sitting at the end of his bed staring at her.

"Are you okay Tesla?"

"..." no response.

Kindle then got out of her bed and walked over to him, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Tesla kept his eyes on Kindle, once she was close enough, Tesla pounced onto her, pinning her to the ground.

"Tesla, what are you doing!"

"Have I ever told you how attractive you look?" Tesla said before licking her check.

Kindle could smell the alcohol in his breath, "Tesla, you need to stop, you're drunk."

He only grinned, "That's what makes this more fun, now sit still."

Quickly, Kindle rammed her head directly into Tesla's causing him to collapse unconscious on top of her. She used her strength to push him off and got back to her feet. 'Hopefully he's too drunk to remember this whole incident...' Kindle thought to herself.

She tucked her head under Tesla's stomach and lifted him off the ground to place him on his bed. After tucking him in, she headed back to her bed and tucked herself in.

She looked back at Tesla and let out a sigh, 'Too bad he will only think of me that way when he's drunk. He'd never give me that kind of attention if he were sober...' Letting out anther sigh, she rested her head on the bed and went back to sleep.

* * *

 **I apologize for the lengthy wait and the fact the chapter was kinda short. So, some interesting and important things happened in here and will be important in some of the upcoming chapters.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Have a good day and see you next time.**


	9. Chapter 8: Bump In The Road

_**Chapter 8**_

 _ **Bump In The Road**_

It was another day for Flint, Rose, and the group as they walked through a meadow of tall grass. The grass reached above their heads, but Aurora seemed to know where she was leading everyone. Flint hadn't mentioned to Aurora, nor Tesla that Rose had begun bleeding, he felt they didn't need to know, but at the same time it could also be important information in the near future. Kindle also seemed to keep quiet about her incident with Tesla, lucky he was too drunk to remember anything and blamed is pounding head on a hangover, Kindle couldn't stop thinking about the whole thing though. She hadn't told anyone about her interest in Tesla, but last night was the first time he spoke to her in a way that slightly aroused her, except for his drunken state. The thing is is that fennekin also have their heat cycles once a year, their's was also during the spring and she was expecting her heat soon.

Flint decided to break the silence that lingered over the group, "Why exactly are we blindly walking through this meadow instead of traveling on a road or something?"

Aurora continued pushing on through the grass, "We're not blindly traveling through here, well, I'm not anyway. The reason we're cutting through here is so we can take a straight path to Whitestone, instead of having to take roads that resist and bend through other towns and villages. This cuts a lot of the traveling down, so hopefully we should get there sooner than expected."

"With our luck though, something bad should deter us and compromise what we have planned, thus slowing are pace anyway," Tesla said.

"Well, nothing should go wrong today, there's nothing but meadows between Whitestone and here. This should be a cakewalk."

Ironically enough, this was not the case. As Aurora took another step, she ended up falling in a pit trap, Flint and Tesla joining her, while Kindle barely managed to pull Rose back a safe distance. She thanked Kindle before they looked down in the pit to see if everyone was okay. For the most part, they were fine, just a few bruises, scrapes, and scratches.

"Don't worry you three," said Kindle, "Rose and I will find a way to get you all out of there." The two then ran off scavenging around for something to help the others out with.

"This is just great," Aurora spat

"Calm down," Flint said trying to keep her at ease, "Kindle and Rose should be back soon to help us out."

"Oh? You mean the broken eevee and the not-so-bright fennekin? I'm sure they'll be _tons_ of help."

Flint shook his head and looked up out of the hole they were in, "Sometimes a pokemon's true potential goes unnoticed by a blind eye, such as yours."

"There's no context to your statement."

Flint decided to ignore her as he put his trust in the paws off Kindle and Rose to help him out of the hole.

* * *

In the middle of the ocean, a storm was brewing. Thick blankets of clouds hung over three ships that sailed over the rough waves. Thunder echoed in the sky and the winds whipped about in the air. Thankfully, there had been no rain yet.

"With these winds, we should be making great progress!" Gleefully chirped Psyche. "We should arrive in Whitestone by sundown."

The ships had spent all day yesterday and all of today heading back to Whitestone. The winds had indeed increased the distance they traveled and reduced the expected date of arrival.

Nixie was struggling to keep her balance as the ship traversed through the choppy waves. She hadn't been out to sea as much as the rest of the crew, but she didn't really do much since she was mainly a guest for the ship, so most of her time was spent in Psyche's cabin where she admired the paintings and tried reading a couple of books though she didn't know how to read.

Currently, Psyche was steering his ship, making sure to approach the waves at the correct angles. Nixie stood next to him failing at keeping her balance most of the time. She had to use the railing along the ship to support her body.

"How long should this storm last?" Asked Nixie.

"Well, I may be a psychic type, but I'm no castform." Psyche then looked up towards the sky, he saw that the water and the clouds connected with each other along the horizon. "We have more than thirteen nautical miles of clouds visible. We could possibly be in a storm for the rest of the trip."

Nixie accepted the fact and decided to inch her way towards Psyche's cabin. Just as she reached the stairs, the ship hit a slightly larger wave, causing Nixie to lose her balance and tumble down the stairs. Psyche noticed this and handed the wheel to a trusted crewmember before assisting Nixie.

"Are you alright?" Psyche asked while helping Nixie to her feet.

"I'm fine, I'm just trying to head back to your cabin."

"Alright. Looks like you still need to get your sea legs."

"I don't really expect to go on a ship after this..."

"That's understandable. I was the same way back when my father took me on our first trip out to the ocean, I was a stumbling mess, but after a few other occasions I started getting used to the behavior of the waves. It's like the way an ocean speaks, the waves speaks to me, and eventually I predicted their patterns. Now, I have the hang of it and I'm pretty stable."

Psyche had then finished walking Nixie to his cabin. He opened the door and told her to stay there while he stayed outside steering the ship. Nixie found her way to a chair and sat herself down. Observing the room, she wondered how the books on the bookshelves hadn't fallen over, or how something wasn't out of place for that matter. It irritated her and she was already slightly perturbed from all of her stumbling making herself look like a fool. She wanted to take her anger out by throwing a book but decided against it.

"Arceus, if you truly are real, what do you want from me?" Nixie said to herself, but directed at a god she was unsure actually existed. "You took everything from me: my family, acquaintances... everything... Why though? You obviously didn't want me to die, or at least not yet, but even if you are real, you won't answer my questions, I'm just left in the dark without any answers..."

She continued looking at the bookcase at a specific red book. She was irritated for many reasons. She didn't usually get frustrated this easily, but considering what's happened to her recently, she needed to vent out her anger since she already had shed her tears from sadness. Her glare intensified on the book, then suddenly it was launched off of the shelf across the room. Nixie jumped up from her chair, startled by what happened. She looked around the room before walking over towards the book, stumbling a couple of times on the way of course. She picked up the book and set it back on the shelf, confused as to what had happened. She shrugged it off before hopping back into her chair. She let out a long sigh in an attempt to calm herself down. Afterwards she decided on resting until something interesting happened.

* * *

"What are we going to do?" Asked a worried Rose.

"I'm trying to find something that will help us help them out of that hole," replied Kindle, who was blindly searching through the tall grass.

"What are you expecting to find? We're in the middle of nowhere with nothing but rocks and grass. Doesn't anyone have a rope or something in their backpack?"

"Huh, I hadn't thought about that. Me and Tesla don't, do you know if Flint has any inside his bag?" Rose shook her head no. "Then we can ask Aurora." Kindle looked to her left and right, "Do you remember which way we came from."

Rose stiffened as she realized Kindle's uncertainty, "Y-you weren't paying attention!?"

"No..." Kindle replied sheepishly. "We couldn't have wandered too far, we could call out their names if that's any help."

"I guess."

Kindle began walking in a random direction, "Tesla! Flint! Aurora! Where are you!" She was met with silence, she yelled their names a second time, but still nothing happened. "This isn't good."

Rose now seemed scared, the two of them were lost and were now unable to save the others. The two heard some rustling in the grass and froze. Kindle got in a defensive stance in front of Rose, preparing a ball of fire inside her mouth. Suddenly, a blue orb with grass on its head emerged from the tall grass.

"Oh, it's just an oddish," Kindle said as her flame died down. "Could you help us find-"

Before Kindle was able to finish her sentence, the oddish rammed its head into her side, causing her to fall on the ground. Before Kindle could get back to her feet, it rammed into her again, knocking the wind out of her. Rose was frozen in place at how unexpected this was and watched as the oddish rammed into Kindle a third time. Rose snapped back to reality and charged at the oddish, using her teeth to rip parts of its grass head off. The oddish yelled in pain.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked Kindle.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kindle said while flashing a quick grin. "That was... unexpected."

"To say the least."

"Alright, what gives? Why'd you attack me?"

The oddish didn't answer, instead it quickly ran back into the tall grass. A few seconds passed by, Kindle and Rose exchanging a glance before shrugging and continuing to look for the other three. Just as they turned around to head in another direction, they heard more of the grass rustling. Kindle hesitantly looked back. Next thing she knew, a handful of angry oddish were charging through the grass towards them.

Kindle quick turned around, "Run!"

"Kindle! I can't, my leg. Can't you fight them? You have an advantage against them."

Kindle halted in her track. "I guess you're right. I'll distract them for a little bit to give you a head start. Don't worry about me."

Rose decided not to argue and left in search of the others. Kindle stayed back, prepared to fight the oddish. They stopped in front of her, each getting in a defensive stance. Kindle was now able to count that there were seven of them. Shouldn't be too much of a problem. The seven then formed into a circle around her, blocking her blind spot.

"Look, I don't want any trouble. I'm just trying to help my friends."

"You trespass in our territory, now you pay price." The oddish in front of her said in a male tone.

"We were unaware of your territory. We'll leave immediately, I just need help finding my friends."

"It's too late now. You, and friends, pay price. We take you to leader, he decide your fate."

"I guess talking my way out of this won't work. I didn't want to fight you all, but you've left me with no choice."

Before they oddish could speak again, Kindle launched a fiery ball into his face. He screamed in pain as it burned away at his flammable, grass, flesh. Two of the oddish behind Kindle decided to attack at the same time. She had expected this as she jumped in the air with a back flip. As her body was in the air, she was able to fire another ball of fire during her back flip. It collided in the back of the head of one of the oddish who now screamed in pain and ran in a circle to try extinguishing the flame. As Kindle landed, she shot her third fireball and hit the other oddish who tried attacking her. It also went up in flames.

Kindle knew her flames weren't going to kill the oddish. She only wanted to get the point across that she wad very capable of defending herself. Why she couldn't fight Frostbite this easily, she didn't know. She found his potions cheap and unfair, then again all is fair in love and war. Two of the oddish that hadn't been set on fire were trying to kill the flames on their comrades. The other two that were left still decided to fight. She didn't expect the next move that came from the oddish. They both shook yellow powder out of the blades of grass on their head, directed at Kindle. She was caught off guard and the powder attached to her fur. She felt little zaps around her body, causing various muscles to twitch or not cooperate correctly.

"Stun spore..." she said to herself.

The other oddish were able to kill the flames of their friends, and now focused on the battle. The tables had turned so drastically in the use of a stun spore. Kindle cursed to herself before turning around and running to wherever Rose had gone. The four oddish pursued her through the tall grass.

Rose hadn't made it that far, but still a good distance away from the battle. Kindle had caught up to her, without explaining, she picked Rose up as carried her on her back while running in a random direction. Rose looked back and saw the oddish chasing not too far behind, then she noticed some yellow spores on Kindle's fur.

"What happened?"

"Well, to put it simply, the battle didn't go as expected. Where could they be, we couldn't of traveled that far away from the hole. Could we?"

Kindle continued running, but the stun spore decided to be 'helpful' and cause Kindle's left foreleg to not work properly. This caused her to trip and drop Rose. Rose rolled along the ground and ended up falling in the same exact hole Tesla, Aurora, and Flint were in. However, she landed on her broken leg, causing her to cry in pain. Luckily, the splint prevented further damage on the leg.

Flint quickly rushed to her side. "Rose, are you okay!?" With tears in her eyes, the answer was obvious, but she still shook her head no. "What happened?"

She didn't speak, only continued to cry. Flint hugged her tying to comfort her. Kindle was slowly dragging herself to the hole, the oddish closing the distance towards her. Just as she reached the hole, an oddish tackled her, causing her to fall into the hole as well. Kindle ended up landing on top of Tesla. Tesla glared at her before pushing her off.

"What the hell just happened?" Asked Aurora.

"We we're attacked by oddish, a large amount of them," Kindle explained.

Aurora gave a not so satisfied look. "Oddish? A pokemon that's nothing but weak towards you? How could they pose a threat? They don't even have arms for arceus sake!"

"I know. I know. But they caught me off guard with a stun spore, I tried saving Rose and getting back to you guys."

"Looks like the oddish are here..." Tesla said while looking out of the hole.

Sure enough, four oddish were standing by the hole looking down at the victims of their trap. Flint, Tesla, and Aurora got into defensive positions, but before they could attack, the oddish flung a green powder over the team. Suddenly, all five of the pokemon were growing tired, they tired their hardest to stay awake, but failed...

* * *

Water was thrown onto the five sleeping pokemon, abruptly waking them up from their slumber. All of them had their front and back legs tired together, while Kindle and Flint also had their maws tied shut. They were in the middle of a crowd of oddish, gloom, vileplume, and bellossom. In front of them was a decorative chair where a scyther sat, a vileplume fanning him with a leaf.

"You've finally woken." He said in a low, yet smooth, voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Aurora demanded.

The crowd gasped at the way she talked, the scyther glared at her and walked towards her. Aurora kept her glare on him. In a swift motion, the scyther used the dull side of his blade to slap Aurora harshly, she fell on her side from the force.

"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice. You should be lucky I haven't killed you yet."

Aurora spat some blood from her mouth, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"It's not relevant, you're all in _my_ territory, and now you must pay."

"I'll have you know that I'm a royal guard of princess Starshine, when she finds out about this she'll-"

"She'll what? Throw a fit? Sounds suiting for that spoiled child you call as your 'leader.' She'll never be as good a leader as her predecessors. She doesn't know the first thing about ruling an entire country."

"She may not be the best leader, as of now, but she didn't get the full training she needed, and you know why she had to take the throne at such a young age. Besides, what would you know about ruling a country."

"I don't know much about being in power, but I started with these oddish. I'm their dictator, if they treat me right, I'll leave them be. Now, back to the original subject. You must pay a price."

"What do you have in mind?" Tesla decided to say.

The scyther was now angry at Tesla and slapped him across the face. Kindle looked at him worriedly, Tesla glared at the the scyther, but picked himself up off the ground.

"I wasn't talking to you, but if you must know, food is scarce here in the wild. I mainly only get to eat berries, leaving whatever I don't eat to these oddish and their evolutions. It's not everyday that I come across pokemon who have meat on their bones."

The five widened their eyes knowing exactly what he meant.

"B-but you can't e-eat us!" Rose tried to protest.

Again, the scyther was mad at another outburst. He walked over to Rose and lifted his blade and smacked her just as hard. She was tossed a good distance, skidding along the dirt. It took a few seconds for the pain to register, but when it did, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Tears formed in her eyes and she sniffled a bit, then she softly cried in pain. The world went silent around Flint, his eyes widened in disbelief. He had already been beating himself up about Frostbite breaking her leg, and now this mysterious scyther showed up and brought more pain to the defenseless eevee.

Flint's shock became guilt, which quickly lead to anger. He turned his head back to the scyther who had said something but went unheard by Flint's ears. His breathing was picking up, along with his heartbeat, and his eyes narrowed on his next target. He'd never felt this angry before, but something snapped when he saw the scyther slap her. He began growling while a flame built up inside his mouth and leak outside a little, slowly eating away at the rope.

"What are you growling at? Upset that I slapped your little bitch?" The scyther taunted unaware of the flames burning the rope off of his mouth. "In that case, why don't I slap her around a bit more?"

The scyther got ready to slap her another time before Flint's voice cut him off, "Don't you fucking touch her."

The scyther was startled, "I thought I tied your maw shut." The scyther looked a bit nervous, but then he rotated his arm so the blade side was facing Rose, "Don't make any sudden moves, or else."

Flint was unfazed by his threat. He could either attempt saving her or watch as he smacked her around a few more times. The answer was obvious for him since his focus had always been to ensure the safety of Rose. Within a matter of seconds, Flint wrapped his body in flames, burning the ropes that tired his legs. While he was still engulfed in flames, he then charged at the scyther. The scyther was startled as he quickly went to swing his blade downwards, but Flint was too fast for the insect. Flint had launched his skull into his gut, making it crack inward. The force sent a wave of fire over the scyther's body. The scyther was thrown back a few feet and landed on the ground gripping his gut in pain while blood flowed out of him.

"F-Flint?" Rose asked somewhat scared how angry he looked.

"Are you okay?" Flint asked sternly not giving Rose eye contact.

"Help me you fools!" Exclaimed the scyther. His pokemon all seemed too scared to aid him.

"Are you okay?" Flint asked again with more emphasis on his words.

"I'm in pain, but other than-" Rose didn't get to finish her sentence as Flint rushed towards the scyther.

He forced a paw on the scyther's throat, cutting his air off a bit. The scyther attempted to swat him of with his blades. Flint, however, dodged and increased pressure on his throat. The scyther was gagging for air at this point.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Attacking a child. Not just a child, but you hit two females." The scyther said nothing, but continued struggling. "Then, like a coward, you used her as a meat shied. You're fucking pathetic." Flint shot a thin flame into the scyther's left shoulder, he precisely cut his blade arm off while also cauterizing the wound. The scyther screamed in pain during the whole process, Flint nonchalantly watched. He then got off of the scyther and walked back towards Rose.

"Y-You're not going to kill me?" The scyther asked, still unsure himself why he would ask that.

"I'm not a killer. If I killed you, I would be just as pathetic as you. I'll leave these pokemon here to decide what happens to you next. You ruled over them by striking fear into their hearts. But now that your weakened and defenseless, what leader are you to them?"

"You'll regret this decision!" Spat the scyther

Flint paid him no attention, he looked back at his group which were now looking at him in shock. He went to help Rose free from her ropes, but she crawled away from him in fear.

"Rose, I'm not going to hurt you," Flint said with a softer tone now.

"That wasn't you," she said.

"What?"

"You never get that angry, and you didn't hurt pokemon to that extent."

"I was angry because what he did to you. Let me see your scar?" Flint went to inspect the area where the scyther had hit Rose, she was still scared and snapped her teeth at Flint. "Rose, I'm only trying to help."

"You should of killed him you know?" Aurora said, not looking him in the eyes.

"I told you already, I've killed one pokemon, and I don't want to kill another."

"He smacked us, called Rose your 'bitch,' used her as a meat shield, and was going to eat us. Yet all is forgiven and you let him live!?"

"I don't want to argue right now, I just want to go to Whitestone and finish this bounty."

* * *

Eventually the rest of the pokemon were untied and left the area. There was a silence between all of the pokemon, not even to bring up Flint's change of attitude and the fact that he mutilated someone. Rose was walking next to Kindle now while Flint followed from behind.

 _'You'll regret this decision!_ ' Echoed the scyther's voice inside Flint's head.

He clenched his eyes, 'No, I won't regret not killing him. I just need to stay calm. Death is not the answer.'

' _You should of killed him you know?_ ' Aurora's voice now echoed.

'What good would that have done? Rose already seems slightly scared around me because of my actions. How would she have acted if she saw me kill him? It's just like I told Rose back at the tree inside the cave: she only thinks there's one way to solve a problem.'

' _That wasn't you_ ,' echoed Rose's voice.

Flint felt a twinge of pain from those words, 'I know I don't usually get angry, especially that angry. I was only trying to protect her, but I only ended up scaring her, because I went too far. I don't even know what she thinks of me right now. I know she's mad that I dragged her into this bounty hunting thing. She made that more than obvious. Was there a better way to go about things?'

Flint let his thoughts flow from there. He had a lot of confusion and questions. He was too distracted to even realize how much time had passed, it was already night out.

"We're almost there," said Aurora.

"About time, I don't know how much more of this I can put up with," Tesla replied.

"How much further?" Asked Kindle.

"You'll see it after we get to the peak of this cliff we're climbing."

The group had a quick boost of energy, they all gave it one last push to finally reach their desired location. Kindle was the first to the top and was taken away by the sight before her, she didn't even realize that the cliff abruptly ended at the peak and lead to a deathly fall. Aurora and Tesla were the next ones to reach the peak, Tesla enjoyed the view as well while Aurora smirked at their reactions. Rose was next to see the breathtaking city, lastly was Flint who was off to the side a little more. Nonetheless, he shared the same expressions as the rest.

The city was massive, larger then Grassroot and Bark Leaf combined. So big that even combining the two couldn't compare to the sheer size of the metropolis like city. The cliff acted as the walls of the city as it encircle it entity except for where water met. Built into the walls of the cliff were plenty of houses and walkways for pokemon to walk along. A lot of the buildings in the city were square shared and looked identical to Greek buildings. There was a dock yard where ships were trading goods between friendly countries, there were even military vessels. Lastly, and most noticeably, was the castle that was carved into the cliff and overlooking the entire city. The castle had three large towers, they middle one being the largest. It was surrounded by a tall wall and guarded by plenty of pokemon.

"Well, guys," began Aurora, "welcome to Whitestone."

"This is great and all," Flint began, "but, how do we enter the city _without_ falling to our deaths?"

"Oh, right, heh, I should probably take you to the entrance which is a pretty lengthy walk around the cliff. Then I'll take you to the castle."

Everyone groaned in unison thinking they were finally done, but now they had to suffer through walking to their last destination and presumably speak with the princess.

In the distance, at the docks, three vessels had just arrived. One of which belonged to Psyche who was currently in his cabin with Nixie. He was going through some paper work at the moment. He was interrupted when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he had said.

Rykon then entered the room, "Still working on the ship's log?"

"Yes, I'm being as precise as possible."

"Huh, well, would you like me to show Nixie around, get her used to the city?"

"No, it's pretty late. I still need to take her to Starshine and register her under our care. She can have a tour of Whitestone tomorrow, or whenever Aurora arrives with some strangers she is bringing along with her."

"You seem slightly busy. I could help you, I'll make sure Nixie here is registered."

"That won't be necessary, there are a couple of things I need to tell her."

"Okay?"

"In private."

This grabbed Nixie's attention, what could he possibly need to tell her in private that he hasn't told her the duration of the trip?

"Oh, well, I'll be on my way. I'll see you later, Nixie," he finished with a bow before leaving.

"What did you need to tell me in private?" Asked Nixie.

"You'll have to wait until we get to the castle, but it could be highly important, just know that."

"Okay?" She replied awkwardly.

"Anyway, we haven't time to lose, I must get you registered after all. If you'd follow me," Psyche said while exiting his cabin while Nixie followed behind.

* * *

Meanwhile in Zerith, a certain pokemon was running through snowy terrain, avoiding colliding with a pine tree. Nightfang had been on the run for the past two days with hardly any breaks. He was running for his life.

'Damn it! She knows!' Nightfang cursed to himself for almost the hundredth time. 'How could I be so stupid! I fell right into her damn trap and now I need to warn them. She knows I gave it to someone, but I can't warn them until I'm sure she's no longer following me.'

He stopped running for a bit and rested against a tree, out of breath. He grabbed a mouthful of snow and let it melt inside his mouth so he could have water. He repeated this a couple of times before sitting down on the snow.

'How did they even find the gem? I shouldn't be surprised though, something with as much power as that couldn't hide from someone as evil as Tenebris. The worse part is that this is only the second of three artifacts he needs. He already infused the royal leader capes with giratina's ashes. That's why the capes let them teleport almost anywhere here in Zerith. Then there's the gem he's after... it has the power to completely brainwash a pokemon. It's like a parasite that eats away any positivity, its horrifying. After that, he'll initiate the process of finding the third and final artifact. Then... only then-'

"Lost in thought are you?" A female voice said from above him.

He snapped his attention in the direction of her voice and saw Angel laying on a branch with a bored expression.

"Get away from me!" Nightfang yelled before sprinting further into the snowy forest.

He didn't get far as Angel teleported in front of him, "You know, all you have to do is tell me who you gave it to, then you'll be free."

"That's a damn lie I've fell for far too many times," Nightfang then ran another direction.

Angel materialized in front of him again, "Come on, Nightfang, don't you want a somewhat normal life back? Back when you were my royal guard and you and I had some benefits with our friendship," she said while emphasizing the word benefits.

"I was blinded from the truth, how can you not see what your doing is going to doom the world!?"

"You've got it all wrong Nightfang, we're doing this to prove a point about natural selection."

"There's nothing _natural_ about what you're doing!" Nightfang then kicked snow into Angel's face before darting off again.

She shook the snow off of her face and grinned to herself, "You can run all you want Nightfang, but there is no escaping your guardian Angel."

* * *

 **That concludes this charter, also this is close to the end point of the first arc, the next couple of chapters will be a bit of filler with important information thrown in. The second arc will work into where we left off in the prologue. I managed to also hit a small milestone of 50,000 words! My next is 100,000. Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Also! Big thanks to AuraCaster for beta reading this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 9: Whitestone

_**Chapter 9**_

 _ **Whitestone**_

Starshine was pacing back and forth in a large open room, deep in thought. The room had a red, narrow carpet that trailed from a double doorway to just a couple feet away from a set of two, eloquent chairs. Two escavalier stood guard by the door, and the walls were decorated with either paintings, a window, or small bust. Currently, the princess was not in her formal wear; that being her silky, white dress, and golden crown. Leaning nonchalantly against a wall, with her arms crossed, was a female meowstic with a bored expression on her face. Using her psychic abilities, the meowstic was also enjoying a hot cup of tea.

"You appear to be taut," the meowstic said, "What is it that happens to be troubling you at this moment in time?"

Starshine stopped pacing for a second and shifted her eyes towards the meowstic, "Aurora and Psyche are back, they've each brought new comers. I don't care too much about the new comers, but rather the eevee. Something doesn't seem right, and I have the feeling Tenebris feels the same way."

"Yes, you did divulge in the subject of said eevee. There is not much I can make of the matter, in light of the fact that you and Tenebris were supposedly the last of your kind **,** and that other stuff you directed me not to mention."

"Supposedly the last?" Starshine retorted with slight anger, "We are the last! Nothing adds up, and yes, the unforgettable, traumatizing, event between us happened, but still, there was nothing more after that."

"Aurora had mentioned that the eevee was that of a child, yes?" Starshine nodded her head up and down. "Then we can question whomever the caretaker of the eevee may be, or perhaps the father. The father could of mated with an eevee, or evolution of an eevee, thus shedding light on if you truly were the last eevee born."

"You don't understand, do you, Mystic?" Starshine referred to the meowstic known as Mystic. "My father, the asshole he is, made it more than clear that I was the last eevee ever born."

The room was silent after that. Mystic and Starshine then sensed a large presence coming towards the doors.

"They're here," Starshine muttered. "Are you staying?"

"I do not have anything much better to do as of this moment, also my husband, is returning, so I might as well stay."

After that, Starshine found her way to her chair **,** and sat on it in a proper manner, Mystic lazily leaned against her chair. Three loud knocks echoed through the room, after Starshine gave a nod, the escavalier opened the door. Aurora and the four bounty hunters stood on the other side. Aurora was in the middle **,** and walked in with a prideful manner **,** with her eyes shut **,** and nose pointed upward. Rose and Flint were on her right hand side and followed her, Rose being a little more timid than everyone else. Tesla and Kindle were on Aurora's left side, Kindle seeming overly amazed as she observed the entirety of the room.

Starshine kept a watchful eye on Rose **,** and noted how she hid behind Flint a little. "The growlithe," she whispered to Mystic, who replied with a nod.

"Your majesty," Aurora said **,** before she bowed, "I have returned." The rest of the group did a delayed bow **,** realizing their rudeness in front of the princess.

"Welcome back, Aurora. The package is safe?"

"Yes ma'am," Aurora said while pulling out the rectangular, box shaped package.

"Well done, Whitestone is in your debt. Now, who are these friends of yours?"

"Um, well, there not really friends per say."

Starshine seemed slightly annoyed at Aurora. "Well if you won't introduce them, then I guess they will themselves. First off, I'll introduce myself, I am Princess Starshine, I watch over Mardol."

"It's an honor to meet you, Princess," Kindle stated with her bubbly personality, "I'm Kindle, and this here is my partner, Tesla," she said while grabbing Tesla and dragging him towards her.

"And I'm Flint, this eevee here is Rose," Flint then introduced.

"Is Rose your child?" Starshine inquired.

"N-no, she-"

Rose surprisingly interrupted Flint. "No, but he is the closest thing I have to a father."

Hearing that made Flint a little shocked at first, yet slightly ecstatic at the same time. He never considered himself as a father figure for Rose, but at the same time it made sense that she would view him as one. Mystic and Starshine, however, only seemed perplexed.

"Where are your actual parents?" Starshine asked, with a tilt of her head.

"I don't know, I have no memory of anything except meeting Flint and everything that happened afterwards."

"How long have you known Flint?"

"A couple of months or so now."

"Interesting... very, very interesting..."

"I hate to interrupt," Tesla interrupted, "but the bounty is now complete, Aurora has arrived safely with the precious cargo, I believe we were told about our compensation for our efforts."

"Way to be kinda blunt about it," Kindle whispered to him.

"Yes, your efforts shall be rewarded accordingly. I have a reward in mind for you and Kindle, and something else in mind for Flint and Rose." Starshine said.

Flint felt suspicious, but shrugged it off.

"Mystic, take the fennekin and mareep to the vault, give them a reasonable reward." With that said, Mystic kicked herself away from the chair, and beckoned for Tesla and Kindle to follow her. "Aurora, I wish to speak to you tomorrow, for now get some rest, as thanks you for your help."

Aurora bowed before leaving.

"Now, Flint and Rose, I'd like to speak with you two in private." Starshine then looked at her guards, who then left the throne room, leaving her and her guests alone. Flint now felt really nervous, and Rose was unsure how to feel.

"So, you're a bounty hunter, right?" Starshine asked Flint, who nodded yes. "So you're obviously familiar with traveling a lot and all of that. Something you've probably realized is how dangerous it is, correct?" She said, while making it more than obvious she was staring at Rose's broken leg.

Flint still felt guilty about the incident. "Yeah, it's pretty rough, especially when I'm concerned with not only my life, but her's as well."

"So, here's my offer to you, how would you like to quit the life of bounty hunting, and instead make a living here in Whitestone?"

Flint seemed speechless from the offer, "Your majesty, as much as I appreciate the offer, there's absolutely no way I could afford living here."

"I could help with that, I can give you a house here with no payments, just taxes."

"How would I make an income?"

"Here's were a little bit of a catch comes in, I have plenty of tasks you could assist in, as an adversary of mine, your payments would be far more superior to the bounties you do."

Flint let all of the information digest in his mind, it all seemed too good to be true. He was curious as to what 'tasks' she had in mind,then again, he remembered a small argument he and Rose had gotten in, she really didn't like the bounty hunting life, and he had dragged her along with him without her consent. With this, she could live a little happier, attend a school, make friends, and more. Ultimately, Flint saw it as a good decision, he was just clueless to what kind of tasks Starshine had in mind.

"What kind of tasks?"

"Just assistance with documentation, and on some occasions, travel will be necessary, but not for too long."

The answer seemed vague, but Flint really didn't want to upset Rose by dragging her into more bounties, if anything, Flint could possibly keep Rose at the house while he did these tasks, while secretly doing bounties too.

"I'll accept your offer," he finally said.

Starshine smiled, "Excellent! I'll have Mystic assign you your home. I would like you two to stop by the castle entrance tomorrow, so you can attend the tour of Whitestone."

"Sounds fair enough."

Just as their conversation ended, Kindle and Tesla were heading back. Tesla had a smug look on his face, while Kindle seemed quite pleased.

"What do you guys plan on doing now?" Flint asked, after they finished walking in the room.

"Well, Kindle and I might take a small break for now, probably stay in town a couple more days before we take on our next bounty." Tesla replied.

"I'll have to make the best out of these few days while you two are still in town, never know if we'll see each other again."

"Yeah that's true, we can arrange some times to hang out later. For now, Kindle and myself are gonna head to a hotel, we'll catchya guys tomorrow during the tour," Tesla mentioned. Flint assumed Mystic informed the two about the tour.

"Alright, take care," Flint waved as the two exited the room. As they left the room, the escavalier on the other side re-entered the room and stood guard.

"Mystic, could you fill out some housing documentations for Flint and Rose, they'll be living here now, and Flint will assist in my tasks."

Mystic was slightly annoyed, since she had just returned, and had to leave again. "Follow me," she said, while beckoning for Flint and Rose to follow her. Eventually the two left the room, leaving Starshine to herself.

Her temporary peace was interrupted by another knock on the door. Starshine let out a sigh, and nodded towards the escavalier, who then opened the door. Now entering the room was both Psyche and Nixie. As they walked towards Starshine, Nixie couldn't help but admire the surrounding scenery. Eventually her eyes landed on Starshine, and she instantly recognized her from the painting in Psyche's office, only she wasn't wearing the white cape, golden tiara, nor the silver necklace. Once they were close enough, Psyche came to a halt, and took a knee to respectfully bow. Nixie was confused with his actions, but then awkwardly did the same thing.

"I have returned, your majesty," Psyche said.

"It appears so. All was safe on your voyage home, which slightly worries me. I know not what Tenebris plans to do next, but it's best that we keep these waters safe. Furthermore, I'm aware of the newcomer you've saved. Step forward, buizel."

Nixie nervously approached Starshine. The princess inspected her with a watchful eye, taking a large notice towards her eyes. They intrigued her.

"What is your name?"

"Nixie," she nervously replied.

"No need to feel tense, you're safe here, Nixie, the followers of Tenebris can't harm you here, you're protected by the light."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Mardol is a safe haven for the pokemon who've fled from the darkness of Zerith, we are a light that shines within that darkness with the purpose to defeat it. You have nothing to be nervous about here."

Nixie hadn't the slightest idea how to respond to the espeon, she wanted to believe her, but she had a strange feeling that she wasn't truly safe for sure yet. Psyche had then chose to enter the conversation.

"Princess Starshine, my wife, where is she at the moment?"

"Mystic is currently in the registration office, assigning a home to some other newcomers."

"Speaking of which, my I have your permission to give Nixie a home?"

"I grant you permission, but you know the rules, she must have a job within the next month."

"Yes yes, I'll explain that all to her in the future. For now, I shall take my leave, and I'll ensure that Nixie attends tomorrow's tour, along with the others that Aurora had brought."

"Very well, for now, I shall go back to my duties, I'll see you around," Starshine said, while hopping off of her chair, and waving with her tail.

Psyche then lead Nixie through the castle towards the location of the registration office. The office has many different purposes, one of which being assigning homes to citizens of Whitestone. There were other registration offices located outside the castle, since the office within the castle was used for more higher class citizens. All of the documentations held within the room were important to the tax system of Mardol, however, since this was the castle of Whitestone, it mainly focused on Whitestone's taxes.

One large cabinet held the documents of all of the files of the upper class citizens, the documents had a section that specified the owner of the home, number of residents, species, age and gender of each resident, estimate income, then a mathematical formula to find the estimate tax.

The other offices around the city did the same for the lower, and middle class residents, sending the taxes towards the castle. Other cabinets contained files for other types of buildings, that were used for businesses, such as inns, taverns, barber shops, saw mills, black smith shops, theaters, etcetera. Psychics were held in charge of the offices so they could communicate with one another from each office, as well as solve the equations quickly, and ensure the taxes had been paid for the month.

The two had then reached the door of the office, Psyche knocked on the wooden door, and waited for an answer. After a few seconds, Mystic opened the door, she seemed really tired, but seeing her husband for the first time in a long time put a smile on her face.

"Psyche, you're back!" Mystic said **,** while tightly hugging him then pulling him into a kiss, while Nixie awkwardly waited for whatever Psyche needed to do.

"Yes, I'm back. I needed to quickly fill out a home registration sheet for this buizel here." Hearing that she had more work to do made Mystic quickly frown again in annoyance. "By the way, Mystic, this is Nixie. Nixie, this is my wife, Mystic."

"My husband has told me about your existence. I feel the need to apologies for the loss of your colony, just know that you are now safe while you are here within the boundary of Whitestone."

Mystic then lead them back into the room, it appeared that she had already finished up with Flint and Rose, since they were no longer in the room. It took a few minutes, but eventually Mystic finished the paperwork, and called for a clefairy, who was a guard, to escort Nixie to her new home.

As Nixie left the room, Psyche turned to Mystic and said, "We should head home now, you seem tired and stressed. Also, there's a couple of things I need to tell you."

The clefairy had finished showing Nixie to her new home, and was now gone. Her house was built along the mountain wall that circled the city, found a little more towards the center area. Her home wasn't too large, it only had one floor, and was somewhat of a rectangular shape. On the right side of her home was a staircase that lead to her roof, while it also extended to the right connecting to another home, who's staircase was on its left. To the left of her house was the door to another home that mirrored her own. The homes then continued this pattern.

She let out a sigh, and decided she wanted to go on the roof to look up at the stars like she usually did. As she reached the top, she was surprised to find someone else had a similar idea. Sitting on the roof was a growlithe **,** who was watching over the horizon, looking at the ocean. She hesitated going back to her house or not, but decided against it.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, startling the growlithe.

The growlithe looked back before replying, "S-sure, go ahead." **  
**

Nixie sat herself next to him. "I assume you're my neighbor?" She asked, while staring off in the distance as well.

"I guess so," he then turned towards her, and extended a paw, "I'm Flint **,** by the way."

Nixie then turned towards him, "I'm Nixie." Her eyes then looked down towards Flint's paw, causing her to remember what Psyche did when he introduced himself. She found it weird, but attempted to shake his paw.

As Nixie was turned towards him, Flint noticed her blue and pink eyes, but ended up staring at them for longer than he expected. Nixie found it a little awkward, so she looked back towards the ocean, snapping Flint's attention back.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to stare," Flint said, slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine," she said with a sigh, "I'm use to others staring at them anyway. I've always been viewed as a freak because of them."

"Why would anyone view you as a freak because of your eyes? If anything, they're very beautiful-" Flint suddenly said, while choking on his words at the same time. He wasn't sure why he had just said that, it felt very impulsive, and unlike him. "Sorry, I'm making this more awkward, I'm just going to head back inside," Flint said, while leaving before Nixie could say anything else.

Nixie didn't know how to feel just then, she looked back up at the sky, and spotted the same star she saw the night her 'friends' died. She then remember the wish she had said to the star. She had wished that someone wouldn't view her eyes in a negative way, but instead, think they were, quote on quote, beautiful. Yes, Psyche was the first to view them in a positive light, but Flint was so far the only pokemon she had met that referred to them as 'beautiful'. She couldn't help but slightly blush thinking about it, and find it slightly cute how he seemed embarrassed for referring to them as such.

"Thank you," was all Nixie said to the star, before eventually heading back to her home to sleep.

* * *

Psyche was lying on his bed, while his wife was straddled on his hips, pinning him down with her arms, while kissing his lips.

"I thought you were 'ready for bed,' as you put it," Psyche said, after Mystic pulled away from their kiss.

"I am ready to sleep, but as you had said earlier, you had things of which you wanted to address to me, so shoot." Mystic then began kissing Psyche again.

Psyche waited for the kiss to end before speaking again. "It's about Nixie."

Mystic let out a sharp breath through her nose, before pushing herself away from Psyche, and lying on the other side of the bed, "I have told you on numerous occasions that we are not adding a third partner in our sex life."

Psyche gave her a blank stare, "...I wasn't implying that... There's something different about her."

"Are you referring to her eyes? About how each one is a separate color? That is due to the recessive genes found in both of the parents' genetics."

"No, there's more to it than that. I can't blame you for not noticing just now because of how stressed you are right now, but she lets out a small field of energy, similar to that of a psychic type."

Mystic now seemed interested in the conversation. "How is that so?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we can investigate more on the subject."

"I suppose we possibly could, but for now, I feel we should get some sleep, my day tomorrow is not exactly going to be easy."

* * *

Flint woke up to Rose poking his face with her paw. He weakly looked at Rose, before he turned to face away from her. Rose frowned at him, and poked his face some more.

"Flint, you need to wake up so we can go to that tour thingy."

"It's morning already?"

"Yeah, and yet again, I'm awake before you."

"I'm too old to wake up early with as much energy as you have."

"How old are you anyway?" Rose asked with a tilt of her head.

Flint sat and thought about it for a minute, since his brain was still trying to wake up with him. "I'm about... eight years old."

Eight years old for a growlithe is still considered young. Most growlithe live around to twenty to thirty years old, but if they evolve into as arcanine, they can live to be sixty to seventy. So Flint's age is nearly the equivalent of someone in their younger twenties.

"How old do you think I am?" She then asked.

"Well, let's see, you just started your heat cycle recently, but I can't tell for sure if that was your first time or not since you have no memory of anything that happened last year. If I was to make an accurate guess, I'd say you're probably between three and five years old."

Three years old is roughly when eevee start having their heat. Eevee also live anywhere to around thirty or forty years without evolving, and about seventy or eighty years if they do evolve. In Rose's case, she is equivalent to preteen.

"Anyway, get ready, we don't want to be late, they'll start without us!"

Flint got himself ready for the morning and headed towards the castle, roughly remembering the path they took to get there. It was about a fifteen minute walk, but they eventually arrived at the front gate of the castle. Standing there was a familiar fennekin and mareep.

"Good morning, you two," Kindle chirped.

"Good morning," replied Flint, "how'd you sleep?"

"With my eyes closed," Tesla replied sarcastically. **  
**

"Anyway, who's giving us the tour?" Flint asked.

"I don't know," Kindle began, "we weren't really told."

Now approaching the gate was another pokemon, it was Nixie who just now seemed to have made her way there. As she reached the group, she instantly recognized Flint, as did he.

"Good morning, Flint," Nixie greeted.

The other three looked towards Flint with a questionable stare, since they didn't know who she was, yet she knew him.

"Oh, um, morning, Nixie," Flint said, while avoiding eye contact.

"You two know each other?" Tesla asked.

"We met last night, she's our neighbor."

"Wait, neighbor?" Tesla asked, since him and Kindle were unaware of the fact that they were now living in Whitestone.

"Oh yeah," Flint replied, "Starshine gave Rose and I a house as our reward, so now we're citizens of Whitestone."

"That's so cool," Kindle said excitedly. She then ran up to the buizel. "you can call me Kindle!"

"Might as well introduce myself too, I'm Tesla,"

"The eevee here is Rose," Flint said for her, "I take care of her for the most part."

"You don't do too good of a job at it," Tesla said under his breath, while looking at Rose's splint.

"Is she your child?" Nixie asked

"Not necessarily, it's rather complicated."

Before further conversations could arise, a familiar shiny manetric approached the group. "Good morning everyone, I assume you're all here for the tour?" Everyone replied with a nod. "Well, I'm your designated tour guide, you can call me Rykon. I'll show you around to some main locations and whatnot, just try and keep up."

"Excuse me, Mr. Rykon," asked Rose. "Why aren't you the normal color of a manetric, aren't they usually blue and yellow?"

"Good observation, young eevee. To answer your question, it's because I'm a shiny pokemon. Being shiny has a one in a million chance of occurring, or something like that, so that makes me more important than your average pokemon."

"Where are we off to first?" Kindle asked.

"Hmm, on the route I like to go on for the tour, I usually go to the southern market, the tour should end right back here once finished. Let's get going."

Just as Rykon had said, he lead them to the southern market. The market seemed more for upper class pokemon; the roads were made of smooth bricks, the stores were all small buildings with vines climbing their walls, a large fountain was found in the center where some pokemon were either sitting at for a break, or tossing a coin into the water, followed by a wish of some sort. The stores sold items such as jewelry, pottery, wines, medicines, furniture, and much more pricey items galore.

Afterwards, Rykon lead them through some streets to take them to the western market. Along the way, he showed them other slightly significant buildings, such as churches that participate in the worship of various legendary pokemon, schools that taught skills in the working world, a couple taverns, and a dome shaped building that was almost entirely made of glass.

"What's this building?" Asked Kindle

"This?" Rykon responded. "This building is the Whitestone garden. Inside is a large assortment of plants from bushes to flowers, even a couple trees."

"Can we go inside?" Rose then asked.

"We don't have time to do that during the tour, but feel free to check it out whenever you'd like, it's free admission, and it's quite the attraction here."

Moving on, they eventually reached the western market. This market was mainly focused on craftsmanship. There was a store dedicated to leather work, Flint recalled going to one ages ago to get the backpack he has now, he also began considering obtaining a new one. Other stores included, locksmiths, blacksmiths, candle makers, fabrics, potion stores, a shop dedicated to enchanting items, and a few more of similar fashion.

Next up was the northern market. Along the way was more churches, schools, taverns, and some middle and lower class housing. They also came across barracks for the military and guards. Rykon had also pointed out a building known as a registration office, and explained how they worked and coordinated with one another around Mardol, and the cities and towns within Mardol. It seemed pretty confusing to most of them, so Rykon just dropped the subject.

Eventually, they had all reached the northern market, which had an excellent view of the beach and ocean. Most of the stores here sold basic items, such as cooking goods, quilts, water jugs, seeds, and other inexpensive items. Rykon had explained that this was the lower class market, however, others did shop here because of various items that weren't found anywhere else.

"Before we head to the eastern market, I'd like to show you all the beach area," Rykon told the group, while leading them to the beach.

The beach was occupied by various pokemon, all enjoying the cool water. Rose had excitement gleaming in her eyes, this had been her first time ever seeing a beach.

"There's so much... water!" She exclaimed.

"Indeed, there is. This water stretches for miles before you ever see land again. Directly north from hear is the marsh lands of Zerith, to the west are our other enemies; the Jagorii."

The word Jagorii was pronounced jah-gory, sometimes also pronounced juh-gory.

"The Jagorii?" Flint asked.

"Yeah, we don't like to talk about them much here, they aren't our main focus either. They haven't been bothering us as much as those who occupy Zerith. However, they have been attacking our mining sight on an island between the two of us.

"Anyway, this is the beach, it's a great place to relax or have fun. As you can see, to the east is the harbor, that's where ships carrying trading supplies dock, we also keep our naval vessels over there. To the west is the pier, it's littered with places to eat, there's even a cove somewhere in the mountain. And up there is a lighthouse too," Rykon said while pointing with his paw.

After looking around the beach some more, Rykon then lead everyone to the eastern market. As usual, they passed by some more houses, small shops, taverns, and other points of interest that a city would have.

Once they arrived at the market, they noticed shops selling items such as books, toys for children, and even weapons, which surely was the shop considered the odd one out. The interesting thing about the weapon shop was they made weapons for all types of pokemon, and not as in type specific. They had weapons suitable for quadraped pokemon, such as almost everyone in the group. Some of the weapons were symmetrical with a grip in the center so pokemon could hold it in their mouths while causing harm with its blades. Another weapon also had a mouth grip, but only had one blade to either extend out the left or right side of the mouth. There were also spiked legging prices, possibly used for blunt attacks with one's legs.

There was also common weapons for bipedal pokemon, such as knifes, swords, axes, and whatnot. The shop included weapons designed for pokemon that were bipedal, but didn't have fingers or hands (like jigglypuff for example); these weapons had leather straps to create claws around their arms. They also had weapons for birds and aquatic pokemon too. However, they didn't have anything to help pokemon without limbs, much to a voltorb's demise.

"Well, this basically concludes the tour, there is a center to the town, over there you will find a statue of our founder, and the museum of Whitestone. We also have a theater around that area. There is a prison and court found elsewhere within the city, but I figured that wouldn't interest you. I would have shown the gallows, but there is a child here."

"Does that mean some crimes are punishable by death?" Tesla asked.

"Yes, but those are for major offenses, but we also use it for spies or enemies we have hostage."

There was a bit of a silence about how casually Rykon talked about death. Nonetheless, he still lead them all back to the front of the castle. Waiting for them outside was Mystic, who was talking with Aurora at the moment. Mystic then noticed the group approaching.

"Ah, you all have returned from your expedition of obtaining knowledge of the whereabouts of locations spaced about the city, welcome back."

"Yes, hopefully these new citizens won't have too much trouble navigating around Whitestone," Rykon said **,** while looking back at the group.

"Oh, by the way, Flint, Princess Starshine had asked me to engage in a conversation with you, in regards to this eevee you care for. Our apologies for not addressing this matter as of the previous night, but we would like to tend to the wound that is prominent on Rose's right foreleg."

"What do you mean?" Flint asked, confused by the meowstic over-explanatory, yet confusing, speech.

"They want to fix her leg," Aurora said. "Yes, the necklace has numbed the pain, but the bone is still growing incorrectly, we have medical experts that can help realign it properly. Afterwards, she will have no need for the splint any longer, and she'll walk just perfectly."

"How long will this procedure take?"

"That depends entirely on the severity of the damage delt towards the bone," explained Mystic. "An estimate time of completion of the medical procedure could take about three hours, however, in the case that the damage is worse than that of which we interpreted, then the procedure could possibly be delayed a few additive hours more."

"What do you think, Rose?" Flint asked.

Rose then looked at her splint, and saw the unnatural bends in her leg. She simply nodded, giving her consent to the medical procedures.

"Will I be able to stay with her during the process?" Flint asked.

"Sorry, but due to the expertise of our medics, full concentration is a must. No distractions are wanted in the vicinity, and to them, you are included in their list of distractions," Mystic replied.

"What's all included in that list?" Kindle asked, receiving a glare from almost everyone for her asking the long winded meowstic. Luckily, Aurora perverted the conversation from going any further.

Flint lowered his ears after Mystic's reply. "Oh, that's fine... I guess, I just have never really been separated from Rose..."

"What about that time in Bark Leaf, when you and Tesla went someplace, and you left me with Kindle?" Rose asked.

"Well, yeah, I suppose that does count-"

"Or that time in Rockpoint, when you lost me in that crowd of people and didn't notice for a couple hours?"

"Okay, I get-"

"Or that incident we had in Redgrowth."

"Look, we don't talk about _that_ incident."

Kindle giggled to herself, "Man, Flint, you sure sound irresponsible."

"Anyway," Aurora said, attempting to change the subject back on course, "Rose, just follow Mystic to the infirmary."

Rose shyly walked over to the meowstic, then turned back to look at Flint. He gave her a reassuring nod. With that, Rose then followed behind Mystic, as she lead her through the castle.

Rykon and Aurora had left the group behind, leaving only Tesla, Kindle, Flint, and Nixie.

"What now?" Flint asked.

"I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry," replied Tesla. "I'm going to get some food, you and your neighbor are welcome to join."

"Well, nothing better to do, I suppose," Nixie said to Flint.

* * *

Starshine sat on her chair, fidgeting with the package Aurora delivered. She was eager to open it, but she knew now wasn't the time. She let out a sigh, and set the package in a concealed compartment in her chair. She then heard footsteps approaching from behind her, after averting her attention, she notice Mystic walking towards her.

"The eevee has gone through the appropriate medical procedures necessary in the recovery of her leg. As of this current moment in time, she is still in her state of slumber. I am here to propose the idea of reading her memory to see what it is she knows and does not know."

"Good, I need to understand this eevee more. I need to see what secrets lye within her."

Starshine hopped off of her chair, and followed Mystic to the infirmary. Inside the room were numbers of beds lined against the wall, with small tables next to them holding a vase with a flower on top of them. Starshine spotted the bed that Rose was resting in. She was peacefully asleep, no longer wearing the splint. Her leg looked a lot better and was back to its correct shape.

"Let's see what you know," Starshine said, while placing her paw on Rose's head.

Starshine's eyes began to light up with a blue aura, and she was now navigating through Rose's head. With her perspective, she saw nothing but a black void, her aura acted like a third eye that invaded Rose's brain, she was able to see all of her memories, read her thoughts, see her dreams, and much more.

Within the black void, Starshine eventually found an oval shaped object, displaying images at a rapid rate. She assumed these were her memories. Using this third eye, Starshine walked into the screen-like object, now visually seeing what Rose had seen at one point in time.

The memory was seen through Rose's point of view, she was in some type of room that had a bath tub. She turned the knob allowing water to fill up inside. As this happened, she grabbed a white towel from the bed and approached the tub again, now turning the water off. Before she hopped in the water, she noticed a drop of blood on the ground. Confused, Rose used her towel to clean it up. She looked back where see was once standing and noticed a drop of blood there as well. Then she looked down at the towel and saw a drop of blood drip from underneath her. Curiously, see wiped her stomach to see if she was bleeding. The towel was still white, but she saw another drop drip from her. She then nervously wiped between her legs with the towel, and saw a smeared trail of blood. Rose was in shock, but a knock on the door snapped her back into reality.

"Flint?" She asked.

"Yes, are you alright?"

"N-no, I'm bleeding."

Starshine stopped watching the memory there. "This memory is recent. She's in heat..."

"Oh dear," Mystic responded, "How far into it does she happen to be?"

"She's just bleeding at the moment, next week is when she'll give off her scent for potential mates."

"Is Flint aware of the subject?"

"Yes, what he plans to do though, I do not know. Anyway, I'm curious how she got this leg injury, let me continue looking around."

Starshine spent well over an hour watching Rose's memories, she saw her grab the necklace of healing, Frostbite snapping her leg, the group solving the first puzzle in the cave, the long journey Flint and her took to get to Mardol, a bit of the bounties her and Flint had done, the bonding moments the two had, and eventually she stumbled upon the first possible memory Rose had, which was probably a couple months old.

The memory, for the most part, just showed her waking up to the sight of Flint standing in front of her with a concerned face. There was a small conversation that lead in the eevee following the growlithe, eventually going into all of the other memories Starshine had just briefly viewed.

"It just doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"There's no memories, whatsoever, of her past. I can't find her parents, how she was raised, where she lived, nothing, only a few months of things that happened ever since she met Flint."

"Then possibly the eevee is not the one you should really be concerned about, what if by chance the answers to your questions are within the thoughts and memories of that growlithe that accompanies her?"

"I'll try, but it still doesn't explain why almost all of her life in memory is practically non-existent."

* * *

Tenebris and Frostbite were walking through the open field of ash in Zerith. Frostbite couldn't help but constantly look at the new vial that Fade had made for him. There was so much mystery about what it could do, but the effects of the vial wasn't the only thing on his mind.

"So, why exactly are we walking to Whitestone? We could of teleported to the shore, and been there within days."

"We need to do this subtly," Tenebris explained. "Since you've again failed at killing Aurora, she's no doubtedly talked to Starshine by now."

"And what's the problem exactly?"

"You informed me about the eevee, as you know, Starshine and I _were_ the last eevee born, now suddenly there's this new one. No doubt Aurora has informed her about the eevee as well. With that said, Starshine knows that I know of this eevee's existence. She also knows that my mindset is to capture this eevee at all cost. Right now they are probably keeping a close eye on the eevee."

"So they would have been expecting us if we had gotten there sooner?"

"Precisely, but I'm waiting for some more time to pass so I can use another member more effectively. They'll still be predicting me, but with security slightly off guard just a little will give us our perfect opportunity."

"Who's this other member you speak about, Lord?"

"He's over there," Tenebris said, while gesturing with his head towards a cave entrance.

The two had entered the cave that descended deep into the crust of the earth. Below was a prison similar to one Nightfang was held in. An arbok standing guard noticed the two enter and straightened its posture while saluting with its tail.

"Lower, Xandora," Tenebris ordered.

With haste, a cage containing a zoroark was brought down. His left eye was swollen shut and his torso was covered in numerous brushes and scars. His claws were chipped and his fur was mangy.

"The hell do you want now?" The zoroark known as Xandora asked in a raspy voice.

"Not even a hello after all of these months?" Tenebris asked with sarcasm.

"Piss off."

"You should be less hostile towards me, unless you want me to explain to your son that now his father won't be coming home again either."

Xandora glared, images of how Tenebris slaughtering his wife flickered in his head. "Just tell me what you want."

"We have a small task that requires your experience. We need your help kidnapping someone in Whitestone."

"Are you fucking insane, we'll be killed on site!"

"Yes, they could _try_ to kill Frostbite and myself, but your the key to making this all successful, especially considering the abilities you zoroark and zorua have."

"What's in it for me?"

"You'll be guaranteed to live another day filling your son with false hope of your return."

Xandora gritted his teeth, but accepted helping the umbreon out. After all, he is the only source of completing this mission, they'll be at his mercy once he's out, as he didn't truly plan on helping the umbreon anyway. If Tenebris would fill his child with false hope, that's just what he'd do to Tenebris.

* * *

 **That concludes this chapter, I got some world building in this charter, did some foreshadowing, dropped some small important details, and introduced two new characters. Xandora is a new character entirely who wasn't originally planned in the previous story, but he has an important role now. For the small few that did read the old story, you may know who Xandora's son is.  
**

 **I decided to be vague on a lot of the memories Rose had because I've been considering small side stories about the characters prior to these events. A bit of everyone's backstory will be shown later, but these side stories would be what won't be included here. I have a plan for everything that happened when Flint met Rose up until the wagon ride to Mardol. A story about Kindle when she was a thief, how she met Tesla, and the bounties they did. Also, I'd have a separate one for Nixie's life inside the colony, and a story showing how Nightfang got where he is. I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in that, but I am heavily considering it.**

 **Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you all next time. Also, big thanks to AuraCaster for beta reading this chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10: In The Heat Of The Moment

_**Hello everyone, back with anther chapter. I do apologize for the two month wait, but it's finally here. I will warn that there is a scene in here that contains adult content.**_

 _ **I'll probably mention this every few chapters, but I do not own anything related to pokemon, I am just a fan making a fictional story.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10**_

 _ **In The Heat of the Moment**_

Flint and the other three were now enjoying a nice brunch at a local tavern. Flint wasn't too sure how long the medical procedure was going to take, so he decided he would sit at there and engage in some form of conversation.

"So, where are you from, Nixie?"

Nixie wasn't really prepared for any questions from the group, but she was also aware she didn't know much about them, just as much as they didn't know about her. "I'm from Zerith, I was part of a buizel colony back there."

"You weren't part of this army Mardol is fighting against?" Tesla asked.

"No, we had nothing to do with the Dark Legion."

"What _is_ the Dark Legion?" Flint asked. He heard the name a couple of times, but never knew exactly what it was.

"They're... they're the reason Zerith is hell. The Dark Legion is a military that pokemon are forced to join against their will, those who refuse are killed, imprisoned, or worse."

"That sounds horrible..." Kindle said, suddenly losing her appetite.

"Is that why you decided to come here to Mardol?" Tesla asked.

"... yeah," she lied, not wanting to tell the full truth. "Where are you all from?" She then said, redirecting the question.

"I was born in Rakail," Flint replied, "which is the country east of Mardol. I too was part of a colony, I suppose. Ashmond was a village populated by growlithe and arcanine. That's where I spent the early years of my life."

"What caused you to leave your colony?" Nixie asked curiously. She was interested to know more about Flint. She found it relatable how both grew up in colonies, but she left hers for different reasons, more than likely.

Flint's ears flattened as he replied, "Let's just say I was banished... for some things I did."

"What did you do?" Tesla asked, attempting to pry more information out of Flint.

"It's honestly best if I don't talk about it, you probably wouldn't view me the same."

"Wait," Kindle began, "is this why you don't like killing?"

"No, what I did is completely different from killing, still as bad though. Can we please just change the subject?"

"Right," Tesla said. "Kindle and myself are both from Rakail as well, I was a museum guard while she was a thief. Some things happened between us that caused me to lose my job, she coverted to a church of mew, then we became bounty hunters, and now we're together here in Mardol awaiting our next bounty."

"I noticed you and the fennekin are always with each other," Nixie said, "Are you two...a thing?"

Kindle would be laughing at the assumption right now if she hadn't been choking on the water she was just drinking. Tesla had an annoyed look on his face. "Far from it, I only have her around because she's useful with locks and we share our wealth."

"Sorry for the assumption," she said, scratching behind her head.

"It's alright, I guess, I could understand why you'd assume so." Tesla's face then switched from a serious face to a sly one. "Why did you ask though? Are you searching for a mate? I know the mating season for buizel is in fall."

"N-no, I meant nothing of the matter. I was just curious," she retorted in embarrassment.

"Are you sure? I know Flint is available, it would be convenient too since you're both neighbors and all," Tesla joked, winking and nudging Flint

Nixie was blushing underneath her fur. Though she just met Flint last night, the fact that he called her eyes beautiful made it seem like it was fate for her to meet him. She wasn't sure if she had feelings or anything for Flint, but Tesla's teasing didn't help with her uncertainty.

Flint just rolled his eyes. "Can we just enjoy our food with a normal conversation?"

"Do you guys know any good jokes?" Kindle said, in an attempt to change the subject. The table was silent as everyone looked at one another to see if anyone had something to say, but no one seemed to have a joke. "Alright, I guess I'll tell one. This one is more from a life experience. So a couple years ago..." Kindle said while explaining her 'joke' which lead her into a couple tangents. Eventually, she did get to the conclusion of her joke. "Then I said, 'Knees high? I thought you said _niece_ high!'"

Albeit the joke was long and over explained, the joke did cause the group to light up into some laughter. Tesla threw in a couple of cheesy jokes on the side. Overall, everyone was enjoying themselves.

"I have an odd question for you, Kindle," Nixie said.

Kindle's ears perked up. "What would that be?"

"Why do you smell like... cinnamon?"

Kindle suddenly blushed, looking away from everyone at the table. "Oh that? I-it's just my, uh... uh, scent. Yeah, my scent."

"Gee, that wasn't suspicious at all," Tesla replied. "Speaking of which, I'm just as curious. Why do you smell like cinnamon? I've been traveling with you all this time, and you only smell like cinnamon every once in a while."

Kindle's blush was now visible through her fur. "I swear! It's just my scent! Same reason Flint smells like a campfire roasting marshmallows. The reason Rose smells like, well, a rose. Nixie smells like vanilla. And the same reason you smell like an ocean breeze."

The table was silent after her outburst.

"Wait, do I really smell like a campfire roasting marshmallows."

"Hell yes you do!" Kindle beamed, with a smile. "Being able to pick up scents is a primitive ability of any female, it's helpful for selecting a mate in the future."

"Oh... Is it a good thing that my scent is the way it is?" Flint asked curiously.

Kindle shrugged. "It's natural that you smell the way you do, but you're scent is only important to your future mate. A scent plays a big role in females selecting who they want to mate with."

"That sounds interesting. I do need to ask though, if it's just a scent, then why did you get all flustered earlier?"

Kindle couldn't help but blush again. "I-it's just reasons. Let's not talk about it any more. Anyway, how about this weather, huh?"

"Well, compared to Ironfrost, it's a lot warmer here." Flint replied.

"You frequented Ironfrost?" Tesla asked.

"Mhm, that's where a majority of Rose and myself did bounty hunting. Are you familiar with the area?"

"Familiar? Hah! I was born there for mew's sake. I was born in the third distract and grew up there. Then eventually, I went to Rockpoint, which is where I was a museum guard."

"Tesla and myself also did a few bounties in Ironfrost," Kindle informed.

"What do you think the chances are we've probably crossed paths multiple times without realizing it?" Flint asked.

"Who knows," Kindle replied, with a shrug.

Flint noticed Nixie seemed to just be listening to the conversation instead of being part of it, so he made an attempt to get her to talk some more. "So, what kind of things do you like to do, Nixie?"

Her ears perked up, and she was slightly shy from the attention drawn back on her. "I...I-I like to read and swim. I've been trying to draw, but that hasn't gone too well yet. However, I am pretty good at navigation."

"Navigation?" Flint asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Y-yeah, I'm familiar with constellations, wind directions, I can read maps easily, and a couple other things."

"Sounds interesting and helpful. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two in the future?"

"S-sure," she said, with a sheepish smile. She was enjoying how easy it seemed to talk to Flint and how interested he was in what she had to say. He anyways kept full eye contact as if he truly cared about what she was saying. She just needed to find a way to stop being so nervous when talking to him.

"Hey, Nixie," Kindle said, "I just wanted to say, I like your eyes, they're very vibrant."

"You think so?"

"Of course! They're beautiful, even!"

"Flint said the same thing about them last night."

"Oh really?" Tesla said, another sly smile spreading across his face.

"Well, yeah, I did," Flint began. "But, it was so impulsive of me to say, and they caught me off guard, and-"

"So what, now her eyes aren't beautiful?"

"No, of course they are- stop twisting my words, Tesla."

"Okay, okay, calm down, just having a little fun. The trip over here was stressful."

For the next twenty or so minutes, the group enjoyed their food and continued random conversations. After they felt they were finished, they called for their waiter, a bunnelby, to pay for their food.

"For the fennekin and mareep, your meals come to be two penrta and one silvin. For the growlithe, your meals is one silvin, and the buizel's meal is one silvin as well."

It was at this moment that Nixie realized that she did not have any form of currency. She had heard the mention of such things, but her colony had no use for one as a barter system sufficed.

"I hate to bring this up now, but... I don't have any form of currency..." Nixie said, while rubbing her arm nervously.

"Are you serious?" Tesla asked. "Why would you come here without coins?"

"I didn't think much about it, we didn't have a need for currency in my colony," she said timidly, trying to defend herself.

"So you just assumed the food in this city would be free?"

"I-I-"

Flint then interjected, "Tesla, it's fine, honestly. I also grew up similarly, I wasn't ready for living in the city. That's why I became a bounty hunter, it was easy coin. So, I can understand Nixie's point of view just a little." He then turned his attention to Nixie, "Don't worry about your meal, I'll pay for it."

Nixie couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for having him pay for her food. She was ignorant of how the economy of a city worked. Now she needed to find a way to earn money.

"I'm sorry, Flint..." Nixie said, in a guilty tone.

"Nixie, its okay, it's not like you could of known, I'm not mad or upset at you either."

Nixie wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Flint that was different from any other male she had met. Well, for one, he wasn't anything like the males from her colony; practically everyone from her colony despised her existence. He was the first to call her eyes beautiful, which seemed important to her after her wish. Now here he was, still being nice to her after she inconvenienced him. Just something about Flint made her feel different, as if she had found a new reason to live, as if she wanted to be with Flint more, know him more - it was unexplainable to her.

Flint reached for his coin bag, his eyes widened when he realized he barely had enough to pay for the two meals. 'Holy fuck,' he thought, 'where the hell did my money go?' It seemed he had forgotten to keep track of his coins after getting a room back in Bark Leaf, the breakfast they had there, as well as the drinks he and Tesla drank.

"Everything okay, Flint?" Kindle asked, tilting her head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine... just lost in thought."

Flint then handed the necessary amount of coins to the waiter. For another hour or so, the group engaged in some more conversations. Tesla and Kindle shared some stories of bounties they had done. Flint talked about traveling Rakail. However, Nixie hadn't much to talk about.

"Well, it's getting pretty late, I should check up on Rose," Flint said.

"I'll go with you," Nixie replied, a little too quickly in fact. "Psyche told me to come back to the castle today for some reason," she then added.

"Hopefully we can hang out again before Tesla and I depart on our next bounty," Kindle said.

"I'm sure we will."

"Anyway, goodnight you two, and it was nice meeting you, Nixie!" Kindle said. With a wave, she and Tesla left.

After that, Nixie and Flint walked back to the castle in silence. The two both struggled to find a conversation to pass the time.

"Whay do you think of Whitestone do far?" Nixie decided to ask

"It's very... big, and white. I don't like cities too much, but this one is fairly nice."

With that, the conversation ended just as fast as it started. Nixie then felt a little saddened, she wanted to talk more with Flint but wasn't sure what to talk about. Hearing is voice was soothing to her. Over the past twenty-four hours, she developed these strange feelings for the growlithe. It was unlike any other emotion she had felt in the past. She hadn't the idea what this new emotion was.

Eventually, the two reached the gates of the castle. Guarding the gates was a noctowl and a golduck. Flint noticed the guards had their own weapons. The noctowl had metal talon extensions attached to his talons, the steel was probably sharp enough to penetrate a steel-type pokemon. The golduck, however, had gauntlets with blades attached to the top, the blades extended past its hands, thus extending its reach if it were to swipe with its arms.

As Nixie and Flint approached the gate, the two guards halted them, demanding what business they had at the castle. Flint explained that he was visiting someone who was taken to the infirmary and that Nixie was requested to come, by order of Psyche. The golduck used telekinesis to report with a few other psychics inside the castle, after given a confirmation, the golduck escorted the two into the castle.

The interior of the castle was very elegant, the floors were made of a smooth, white sandstone. The walls were made of the same rocky material that made up the mountainous wall surrounding Whitestone. Along most hallways contained pillars made of white marble, the stairs were made of the same material. Along the walls were various painting, statues, or a wall decoration of colorful plants.

While passing through the hallways, Nixie couldn't help but admire the art. She saw paintings of Mirrosa, some of Starshine, while the rest where random scenes. One painting showed two pokemon on clouds, each reaching for each other with their finger tips almost touching. Another painting showed ships sailing on clouds while rain feel on pokemon battling against each other. Another painting that caught her attention was one that showed a pichu with tears in its eyes as it watched a village burn in the night. The last one sent a chill down her spine.

Flint was admiring the statues, he found the three-dimensional art more intriguing. There was one that was an alakazam, sitting on a stone, deep in thought. Another was a popplio balancing a ball on its nose. The next statue had a lot of detail in it, it was a legendary pokemon that Flint didn't know too much about. It was a two legged dragon that had a huge tail emitting flames, it's arms were part of its wings, and it looked really fluffy.

Before they knew it, they were at the infirmary. As they entered, the golduck took its leave and headed back to guarding the gate. It didn't take Flint long to spot Rose. She was currently awake in her bed, talking to Mystic. Flint was really happy to see Rose and rushed over to her.

"Rose!" He said, happily.

Rose turned to look in the direction of Flint, and smiled once she saw him. "Flint!" She said while hopping off the bed and running towards Flint.

After closing the distance, Rose jumped and gave Flint a hug. It took Flint by surprise since she was a little more affectionate than she usually was.

"Look, my leg is all better now," she said, while showing her rejuvenated leg.

"That's great, Rose! It doesn't hurt?"

"Mm-mm," she relied, shaking her head left to right.

"Im glad to hear. Hey, Mystic, is Starshine around?"

"She is currently in the midst of highly important business. Of what importance is it to you that it requires you to ask?"

"It's about the tasks she's assigned to me. When do I start?"

"Worry about it not today, but tomorrow instead. Tomorrow will be that of a better day in which the princess can assign tasks needing of completion."

Nixie then made her way into the conversation, "Also, where's Psyche? He had told me to stop by as well."

" He is also busy as of this moment in time, however, he has stated with me the information in which concerns you. With that all now being said, I wish to exchange in a conversation of sorts... privately."

"Oh... um, okay." Nixie then turned to Flint. "I guess this is goodbye for now. It was fun meeting you and your friends."

"Yup, I'll see you around, Nixie." Flint and Rose had then left the room, leaving Mystic and Nixie to themselves in the infirmary.

"Come hence forth, Nixie, I have much that I need to tell you," Mystic said, while heading to another exit.

Mystic took many turns, and climbed a few stairs before she finally reached the room she was looking for. The door was made of dark wood and had a red circle on it. After opening the door, Mystic gestured for Nixie to enter. Inside the room was a lot of random items, there was a table with many candles, each with a different height and thickness. Another table had various shaped objects with a weight indication on them. There were cups and bowls with different liquids, and there were books that seemed very thick.

"What is this place?" Nixie couldn't help but ask.

"You are to tell no one that you have been inside the vicinity of this room, anything that transpires in this room, not even the mere existence of this room. Do you understand?" Nixie was taken off guard by the question that made her feel like she didn't have a choice in saying no. "I said, do you understand? I am in no mood for repeating myself."

"Y-yes."

"Where is the confidence in your wording? Allow me to explain something to you, everything that takes places within this room is classified to the public. What I am about to tell you and show you may sound absurd, outlandish even, but I am hear to train you in a sense."

"What are you talking about?"

"You, you are the subject of my sentence. There is something about you that does not seem right."

"Do you mean my eyes?"

"No, it is something more dire than that of your eyes. Now, what I require you to do is to become angry."

"What? Why?"

Mystic didn't reply, instead she smacked Nixie across the face, causing her to stumble onto the ground. "Become angry." A wave of random emotions flooded into Nixie: confusion, sadness, and a little bit of anger. "Yes, good, I can sense the negative emotions inside you rising. I need to see this for myself before I can move on."

"Are you insane?"

"If you can not become angry on your own free will, then I have no choice but to force you into becoming angry. I do apologize ahead of time for what it is I am about to do."

Mystic's eyes glew a bright blue. In a matter of seconds, she was able to read Nixie's thought process and memories. She saw the incident of her colony being attacked, everyone dying, Rykon saving her, everything. She didn't really want to bring up the incidents of her colony, instead she found something intriguing with her thoughts about Flint.

"Tell me, what are your thoughts about this growlithe, Flint?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do not fuck around with me, Nixie. You have not even known of the growlithe's existence that long, yet you have these feelings for him. You are that of a whore."

"W-what are you talking about?" Nixie could feel heat building up in her face, yet she was unsure why she was embarrassed.

"You have 'feelings' for said growlithe, do you not? You are in no state of denying it either, I have just read through every one of your thoughts. It is more like you are obsessed with him, in such a little amount of time too."

"You read through my thoughts? Why?" Nixie was now feeling insecure.

"I have already explained to you, I need you to become angry. Does it not infuriate you that I now already know every little thing about you?"

"You don't know anything!" Nixie said while clenching her fists.

"Of course I do. I have knowledge that you like Flint because you are over thinking one thing he said to you that coincidently has something to do with a star that you had wished upon."

"How did you-"

"Know? Look at that, I am also capable of finishing your sentences too. You are too predictable, I can read you like a book that is open."

"I'm not..."

"You are, actually. I did not want to bring this up, but I must if I truly desire to get you angry. The death of everyone whom lived within your colony is entirely your fault"

"Stop..." A tear formed in Nixie's eye from the mention of her colony.

"They all died, Nixie, you had brought death to that of your own kind, all of them slaughtered without a reason. All because of you."

"Stop," Nixie said again, her mind swirling in confusion and stress.

"All because you happen to be an inbred buizel. Tell me, do you think Flint would share these same feelings with you if he knew the truth about what you really are?"

"I said stop!" Nixie yelled, causing a book to fly towards Mystic. Just before it hit her, it stopped in mid air.

"There! Were you capable of seeing that?"

"The book... it just... what happened."

"You did that, Nixie. You have probably not noticed this as of yet, but Psyche informed me that you radiate psychic energy."

"What does that mean?"

"This is where you probably won't really believe me, but trust me, Nixie, I am trying to help you harness this gift that you unknowingly have. What you possess is a rare ability to use psychic abilities."

The room was completely silent as Nixie tried to absorb the information. "How is that supposed to make any sense?"

"It's hard to explain, but it is a rare gene that gets passed down through breeding, at one point there was a psychic type someplace in your family line, and its recessive gene has found its way to you."

"Why did I have to get angry for you to tell me this, don't you think you were being excessive? You could have just told me this."

"I needed you to see this for yourself, also, you have not the control of your power yet. Psychic abilities come from a pokemon's brain, but tapping into it takes proper training and dedication. This process happens to be harder for pokemon who have no control of their power. When someone gets angry, their thought process is slightly hindered, they do not think before speaking. This is your brain trying to tap into these psychic abilities of yours, and once it does, it unleashes a random surge of power that is unpredictable."

"I don't understand."

"You are a psychic and water type pokemon, you have been since birth, but are only now learning of your powers. I understand this may be a little too much to grasp. Just give me some time and I shall teach you to use your powers properly, that is what these objects happen to be used for. Through the next few months, I shall show you what it is truly like to have a psychic ability. With that now out of the way, do you have any questions in which you wish to ask me?"

"I have a couple."

"Ask away."

"How were you able to read all of my memories?"

"It is one of _many_ psychic abilities, you shall learn it after I tech you the very basic of things."

"Are there any downsides to having these psychic abilities?"

Mystic let out a sigh. "Yes, too much knowledge and power is never a good thing for anyone. It can cause too much stress and anxiety. I know this from experience due to what it is that I do and know."

"Also, um..." Nixie found herself blushing again. "What are these 'feelings' I have whenever I'm around Flint?"

"What? You mean how you have strong emotions towards him?"

"That's what I don't get, why do I feel so different around him compared to any other male I've been around in my life."

Mystic couldn't help but smirk at the clueless buizel, "I am sure you shall find out more about that feeling in due time. It is best if you learn yourself. In the meantime, we will focus on your psychic training. However, it is quite a late hour, so just come beck to this very castle tomorrow. And remember, not a word about this, I will know if you told anyone."

* * *

Kindle frantically ran into the room she and Tesla had rented. She was alone, since Tesla decided to go out drinking again. She had one word rushing through her head, 'cinnamon.'

'Why did she bring that up?' She thought to herself. 'She's a female too. Aurora brought up the subject, but never asked _why_ I had the scent. Mine's more than apparent now, all because it's spring... I'm in heat, just like Rose...'

She grabbed the bag that was resting on a bed, it was full of a ton of supplies, but she was searching for one specific item. Due to her lack of thumbs, she shoved her head inside the bag to grab the item. After retracting her head, she had a stick in her maw.

'I haven't done this in a while... but it's my first time having some time to myself in a while. Should I really use this sick though? I was planning on using it when I evolved, I mean, I could always clean it off and - gah, what am I thinking? This feels so wrong...'

She shook the thoughts out of her head, but her mind was still set on one thing. She lyed on her bed with her paws towards the air. She shifted the stick from her maw into her forepaws. She gave an uncertain look towards her stick. Pushing away all negative thoughts and realizing Tesla wouldn't be back for quite a while, she decided to go through with her deed.

A blush spread across her cheeks as she opened her legs, revealing her tight slit. A thin string hung from the puffy lips, attached was similar item she had given Rose to prevent her bleeding. Using a claw, she pulled the bloody cotton out from her slit, doing so caused a small bit her juice to trickle out of her hole.

She tossed the cotton aside and set the stick next to her. Next, she reached a paw down between her legs and inserted a digit. She lightly moaned as the folds stretched open, allowing more of her fluids to flow. She took a minute to trace around her lips, soaking up her liquids with the fur of her paw. Afterwards, she brought her paw to her mouth and licked away, drinking her own fluids.

Kindle stuck her paw back in her slit, this time she rubbed it along her clit, causing her to grind against her paw, begging for more. Using a free paw, she rubbed sensitive area around her body, followed by the sound of more moans. This continued for a couple minutes before she finally retracted her damp paw. She was ready for the next step.

Using both of her paws, Kindle grabbed the stick. Her heartbeat had increased and her breaths were short from her self made pleasure. She held the stick next to her mouth while images in her head made her blush thicken. She was now imagining the stick to be a certain piece of Tesla. She began licking the stick. It's worth mentioning that said stick had a smooth surface, opposed to a rough one. Severalteen licks later, she seductively inserted the stick into her moth, pushing it in and out while she sucked on it. She also tried testing how much of the stick she could push down her throat, although gagging after a few inches. As she released the stick from her mouth, a thin string of saliva trailed between her and the stick.

Kindle now felt ready for the final step. She teased herself by sliding the stick sideways between her puffy lips . After readjusting the angle, she slowly penetrated herself with the thick stick. Luckily, she didn't need to worry about ripping her hymen since this wasn't her first time being penetrated. She moaned slightly louder as she got the stick pushing against her clit and stretching her inner, moist walls. She still had Tesla in her mind. She was imagining her rear up in the air as Tesla crammed his shaft into her tight hole, claiming her and making her his bitch. She replicated each and every thrust with her stick.

"Ohhh Tesla~" Kindle moaned blissfully, "Fuck my wet pussy with your hard cock~" She blushed at the thought of even wanting to say such vulgar words, but she was enjoying the pleasure it brang too much to care.

She continued huffing and puffing while pumping the wood inside of her, releasing an occasional moan and an arrangement of lewd vulgarity indicating her pleasure and desire. Her eyes clenched tightly as she felt a familiar presence. Her walls were tightening around the stick, her back was arching, her paws squirming, and her moans were a higher pitch than previously. She was close, and she wasn't going to hold back. She braced herself as she pushed through further into ecstasy. Then the moment finally came (pun intended). With a gasp, she pulled the stick out just in time as a white liquid seeped out from her slit. After her climax, the scent of cinnamon became more apparent.

Kindle sat on the bed, breathless from her dirty deed. She proceeded to clean the stick of her fluids, enjoying the rich flavour it brang. Afterwards, she began cleaning up after herself; she did the best she could at cleaning her stains, she washed her stick off, and prepared a bath for herself. After her lengthy bath, Kindle groomed herself with a brush, put the stick back in the bag, and found a new piece of cotton to utilize. She then felt the heaviness in her eyes and decided to let sleep overcome her body.

* * *

The next morning started with Flint surprisingly manage to wake up before Rose had. He let out a lengthened yawn while stretching out his tired muscles. He decided to wake Rose up since they had somewhere to be. Flint nudged the peaceful eevee's body until she began to stir.

"C'mon, Rose, we got work to do."

She rolled over on her side to face Flint with her sleepy eyes. "That's not true, _you_ have work to do."

"I can't leave you here."

"I'll manage," she said, then let out a yawn and went back to sleep

Flint wasn't amused. He bit down on the blanket and jerked it out from under her in a quick fashion, causing Rose to flop onto the ground. "Up."

"Fine...can we eat first?"

"No can do, I don't have any coins left, so we'll eat after work."

Rose's heart nearly stopped. "No... coins?" She repeated. "What the heck happened to all your money?"

Flint rubbed behind his head. "Well, I got a little carried away with eating out frequently, so I wasn't really keeping track. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, I'm sure working with the Princess will pay well."

"It better, or else we'll starve..."

As the two left their house, they noticed Nixie was leaving her house just at the same time.

"Good morning, Nixie," Flint called.

"Oh, h-hey Flint. Are you off to the castle too?"

"Yup, I've got work to do. You're welcome to join since it seems you're going there as well."

Nixie headed towards the two, joining with them as they walked back to the castle. Rose felt slightly uneasy with her presence, but tolerated it. The walk to the castle carried no conversation with it since no one really knew what to talk about. After arriving at the castle, the same process was repeated as last time and a guard escorted them into the castle. The guard left the three in the main hall, waiting for them was Mystic.

"Good morning you three, nice to see you all were capable of making it here," Mystic said. "Nixie, as you are already aware, you shall be working with me. Flint, you will be assisting the Princess with various tasks of which she needs fine by you."

"What am I to do with Rose?" Flint asked. "I can't exactly leave her home alone, and I'm sure she wouldn't be interested in this work."

"She can stay as a guest within the proximity of the castle until you are finished with your tasks for the day. We have tour guides, a daycare, and an eating hall to occupy her time."

"Who will be watching over her?"

"Some of our various guards."

"Are you okay with that, Rose?"

"Don't really have too much of a choice," she replied.

"Very well, if you all would please follow me, I will now take you all to your respective work stations."

The first stop was the daycare. Inside were various children of pokemon whom worked in the castle. There was a daycare built into the castle for the convenience of being close to where everyone worked. Watching over the children was a chansey. Rose awkwardly looked into the room seeing that most pokemon looked smaller than her, thus she assumed they were younger than her.

"Flint... I feel slightly out of place here..."

"I don't think there's much other options around..."

"Could I just go on one of those tours? Or eat? Preferably the later."

Before Flint could answer, the chansey noticed the newcomers and decided to greet them, "Hello! Welcome to our daycare! I'm the one in charge around here! Is this eevee your child, sir?"

Both Rose and Flint were taken aback by the chansey's overly happy behavior. They found it much worse than being with Kindle if she were to snort a line of sugar while already being hyper.

"Uh, yeah, I was just here to drop this eevee, Rose, off," Flint informed.

"Awww! She is so precious!" The chansey said, approaching Rose, causing her to hide behind Flint. "Follow me dear, I'll introduce you to the other children around here and let you play with our toys."

Rose refused to move anywhere near the large pink pokemon. Flint had to comfort her a tad bit before she finally did follow the chansey into the daycare. As a last cry for help, Rose looked back at Nixie and mouthed the words 'help me.' Nixie could only give a sympathetic smile to the helpless eevee.

Afterwards, Mystic lead Flint to his working station. "Okay, behind this door is mainly where you shall be working, Flint. Starshine should be droping by not too long from now and inform you more about the details of your tasks. For now, feel free to go inside and familiarize yourself with anything and everything. As for you, Nixie, you will be following me."

After the two left, Flint approached the door before him and pushed it open. Inside the room were four different desks, along the walls were various mapped out locations and charts. There was also a large cart carrying stacks of paper, and another cart that was empty. On top of the desks were various items, such as writing utensils, books, scattered papers, and candles.

Flint could already tell this was more than likely going to be a boring job, but as long as he got paid, he'd tolerate it. Eventually, Starshine slammed the door open, startling Flint.

"Good morning, Flint, how are you doing?" Starshine said in a bored tone.

"Im fine, I guess," Flint said, before correcting his rudeness, "- your majesty."

"Drop it."

"What?"

"The 'your majesty' shit, it honestly annoys me."

"I'm sorry?" Flint awkwardly replied.

"No, I'm sorry... I'm a bit stressed. Anyway, you're working with me now, just drop the formality junk unless we're around other royal officials."

"Okay, may I ask why though?"

"I already told you I find it annoying, I'll leave it at that for now. Let's just worry about your tasks for now. This room mainly focuses on our economy and trading routes."

"Why are you trusting some complete stranger like me to do a task this important. Also, you're the Princess, I'm working directly under your authority after just barely meeting you. It seems slightly suspicious."

"Well well well, aren't you quite a perceptive individual? Well, if you want to really know, this is to benefit both you and I."

"How so?"

Starshine began pacing around the room slowly, "As you can already see, you've been provided a job and a free house, those are your benefits. In return, you're helping me with my tasks. You're smarter than that, it seems, there is more to it than that. Honestly, Flint, I don't trust you at all."

"Then why have me work here for you?"

"Patience, I'm getting there. I need you to stay here in Whitestone, this is the safest place for Rose now that Tenebris knows of her existence. This is a problem since Tenebris has ill intentions. You may or may not be aware, but Tenebris and I were the last born eevee, it was made official through a sign by the gods. There's something special about Rose, Flint. Your story is very vague, and doesn't provide enough detail to tell us about her. I have a theory, but don't trust you enough to tell you. I need to learn more about Rose, and this is the true reason I wanted you and Rose to stay here." As Starshine finished her explanation, she also stopped pacing, ending back at the front of the door.

Flint seriously had to let this wave of information not only sink in, but drown him too. He had no idea how to respond for a couple minutes. "So, you're just using me... to get to her?"

"No, Flint, I'm protecting you as well since Tenebris more than likely has ill intentions towards you too since you are her caretaker. Don't feel that you're not important either, there's something about you that I can't quite make out."

"What do you mean?"

"I... don't know. Tell me... are you really feeling okay?"

Flint wasn't expecting the question, causing him to hesitate to answer. "I think so."

"No, let me rephrase: have you noticed anything strange lately?"

Flint was thrown off guard by the random question. However, it made him feel as if he wasn't sure how he actually was feeling.

* * *

Alright Nixie, the first thing you strongly need to learn about is using your mind correctly. The most important thing our brains are capable of is storing a ton of information. So, I am going to teach you about is your variability of storing as much information in your memory in a short period of time."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Like this." Mystic then threw a green ball at Nixie. Nixie barely caught it in time. "7-A-4." Then a red ball was thrown. "2-5-C." Lastly a blue ball was thrown, "T-3-3."

Nixie dodged the blue ball after already catching the previous two. "What was that for?"

"Quick, what did I say after throwing the red ball?"

"I don't know, you said some random numbers and letters."

"Do you remember exactly what I said?"

"Uhm... no..." Nixie replied, rubbing her arm nervously."

Mystic shook her head. "Pay close attention. We won't move on until you get this down."

For the next few hours, Nixie trained her brain in memorizing the codes that coordinated with the balls thrown. Mystic always used another set after restarting and would sometimes change up the question asking for which ball had a greater sum after adding the numbers, or quickly thinking of a word that started with the same letter as the one in the code. She was given eating breaks and resting periods. Eventually, it was time for her to go back home and rest her brain to be pushed to new limits the next day. Both Nixie and Flint continued their work as normal for the next few days. Flint got the hang of reading charts and memorizing trade routes to determine the flow of economy for the season while Nixie was slowly getting better and better at her memorizing abilities. The two were, of course, being paid for their jobs. Flint made a couple of silvin and bronzin daily while occasionally making a pentra if things went exceptionally well. Nixie was paid based on how much she progressed a day.

Rose wasn't really enjoying herself in the daycare since she was older than the others. She was mainly bored and decided to relax and eat when permitted. Kindle and Tesla went on about their daily lives, except for the fact that they weren't with each other. Kindle hadn't seen Tesla enter the hotel room throughout their days in Whitestone, she became worried, but decided to not think too much of it. Most of her nights were repeats of the other due to her heat.

Speaking of which, everything seemed steady going until one-day. Flint was enjoying sleeping in since Starshine had decided to not let him work on weekends yet. However, someone else in his household was a bit restless. Rose was tossing and turning on her end of the bed. Her heart rate had increased, she felt very uncomfortable, but most importantly, her inner thighs were experiencing a hot sensation that irritated her. She attempted rubbing her two hindlegs together to hopefully ease the warmth she felt. However, no matter how much she tried, it only seemed to flare her up more. She was finally experiencing her heat.

Eventually, her rumbling awoke the growlithe on the other side of the bed. Flint rubbed his eyes as he slowly woke up and his nose was instantly filled with a sweet scent of roses. He snapped his head towards Rose to see that she was already awake and looked uncomfortable.

"Are you okay, Rose?"

"What does it look like?"

It took Flint a moment to realize, but he eventually remembered that Rose was in heat. The scent gave it away for him and also dragged him into another flashback.

* * *

"Adara, you're being impulsive," Flint said, struggling to push her away from him.

"In other occasions, yes, but not you, Flint. I was a bit nervous to ask you, but you're the only person I would truly want to have claim me."

"Wait, nervous? Why?"

"Don't take any offense to this, but a lot of the growlithe think you're... gay."

Flint's face went red, more out of anger than embarrassment. "What!? How do they-"

Adara silenced him with her paw. "Don't think too much of it. I don't want to change the subject, Flint. I want to confess my love for you."

"You're still being impulsive, you've shown no interest in me until right this second."

"I've loved you for awhile now, Flint, but I think my heat is what's finally giving me courage to tell you. I was able to resist my urges on my way out of the village. Then you came along, you're the only growlithe I love. You're kind, sweet, handsome, your reddish orange eyes are dreamy, and you just saved my life. How did you even get out here in the first place?"

"I don't know, I was following a strange scent I hadn't smelt before."

"And what did it smell like?"

"Uhh, it was fruity and sweet. Like fruits in a bed of flowers or something."

"That was my scent, Flint. It's almost like we were destined to be here at this moment. If you hadn't came along, that zangoose would have had his way with me. Flint, there is no other way I can think of saying this, but I want you to claim me and make me yours."

"I-I don't know, Adara. I'm not sure if I feel the same way about you. I'm also... inexperienced..."

"Don't worry, this'll be my first time too," she reassured. "I don't care if you don't love me like I do you, just do this for me. Please?"

* * *

Flint shook the thoughts out of his head, wondering why he kept remembering that day specifically recently.

"Rose, how exactly do you... feel?"

"I can't explain it too well, but it feels slightly uncomfortable between my legs, almost as of there's an itch that can't be scratched, but it also hurts a lot."

"This is what I feared... you're in heat."

"Gee, thanks, Flint. Wouldn't have figured that one on my own."

"No need for an attitude," Flint scolded.

Rose continued twisting in her sheets as she struggled to get comfortable. She wasn't paying too much attention as a sheet had tangled between her legs and against her genital region. The sensation caused Rose to moan out of instinct, which quickly made her blush from the unexpected sound.

"Fuck, I need to find Kindle." Flint bolted towards the door.

"Wait, you're leaving me here?"

"I can't take you in town while you're in heat. Just... stay here, I'll be back momentarily."

Flint ran all around town unable to find any sign of Kindle. It did no good that he hadn't an idea of where she was staying in the city. He then had to result to his second best option, which was to either ask Nixie or Mystic. He decided on mystic since she seemed smarter and could probably handle the issue better.

* * *

"If you really want my opinion, your best bet is to leave her in your house until her heat cycle ends." Mystic explained, she then took a sip from her tea.

" _That's_ your advice?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"...no."

"Exactly. There is not much you can do. If you do not mind me asking, have you given her 'the talk?'"

"What talk?"

"You know, the birds and the combee."

"Yeah, kinda..." Flint replied, scratching the back of his head.

"You don't sound confident in your answer. So this is my next piece of advice: take her to a sex ed. class."

"Why?"

"To educate her about these things. Hell, she can meet my children too, since they will be attending the class sometime in the future. Who knows, they could all possibly become friends. Not with benefits though."

"You have kids?"

"Two as a matter of fact."

"Interesting... When is the next class?"

"In a few weeks. I'll let you know as it gets closer. For now, just worry about her heat."

* * *

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As for the next one, I'm uncertain when I'll have it posted since my work schedule will be petty**_ _ **crazy starting next month. I'll do my best since I'm dedicated on finishing this story.**_

 _ **A couple of things I want to address about this chapter: you may or may not have noticed that the way Mystic talks changes a bit in this chapter. It won't be addressed in the story, but basically Mystic sometimes over explains things to help exercise her brain; other times, she becomes lazy and neglects doing so. Secondly, the explicit scene with Kindle was my first ever explicit scene I've written, so I apologize if it kinda sucked. I plan on around nine or ten more adult themed scenes throughout the rest of this story, so hopefully I get better.**_

 _ **Oh yeah, I did this in my previous story but had forgot to do it on chapter one. These are my responses to reviews:**_

 _ **Uknown Umbreon: I'm really happy you're enjoying the story, I'll do my best to continue keeping you and other readers immersed with the story :)**_

 _ **(I hope it's not a little too late for these next two since it was back in October)**_

 _ **Orthros: I'm glad you found this interesting, and yes, this is a re-wright of a story I wasn't too pleased with. I hope you're still enjoying the story :)**_

 _ **AuraCaster: I'm glad you liked those ideas I added, they were honesty made on the spot while writing the prologue. I came up with the flammable saliva when trying to justify how fire-types create their own fire. I hope you too are still enjoying the story thus far :)**_

 _ **Anyway, that's all for now, I'll see you all next time!**_


	12. Chapter 11: Progression Of War

_**Just a quick note before I get started, the warning head been removed from the previous chapter since I felt it interrupted the flow. Also this is a rated 'M' fic, there's expected to be mature content.**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11**_

 _ **Progression Of War**_

A thick fog covered a grassy terrain that was littered with corpses and blood. An eerie silence loomed about the air as the moon barely provided light. Walking calmly through the fog was Toxin, the barbed scolipede. He looked around his surroundings noticing little ponds here and there, a few large trees that were damaged from battling, and dens that housed the pokemon that once lived here.

"Funny how such peaceful creatures met such a horrible fate. But, hey, now we don't have to worry about being bothered by any buizel or floatsle ever again."

A beedrill then zoomed from the fog and landed next to Toxin. The fog curled inward as its wings distorted its shape. Around the beedrill's neck was a purple scarf with a metal 'X' pinned onto it. "Sir, I think we found what it is you have been looking for."

"Then take me there." Toxin followed behind the beedrill as it flew back from where it came. "Captain, do you know what happened to the small handfuls of groups that somehow managed to escape?"

"Yes sir, I had sent a few of my troops after each group. By now, they're all as good as dead." Finally, the beedrill reached a fairly larger tree that bended a bit. The bark had a very faint blue tint to it as moss had grown in the cracks of its texture. The leafs were a maroon color that draped down from the branches. There was a hollow point in the trunk that made for a doorway. Standing outside were a few other pokemon who were troops under the captain's command. These pokemon all also wore purple scarves, however, they didn't have any insignia on them.

"This is it, sir."

"It looks a bit dark, does it not? Bring me my torch."

A yenmega then lead an illumise to the entrance. The bug was wrapped in chains and was covered in bruises, scars, and dried blood. The firefly-like pokemon provided a light as it lead the way for Toxin, the captain, and the yenmega into the dark tree.

"My torch is looking a bit dim, yenmega. I don't care how you do it, but ensue she gives me a new one."

Topically, the illumise wound have been frightened after these words, but after a few 'sessions' with the other troops, she eventually lost her emotions and did whatever pleased the troops.

Inside the tree was a spiral wooden staircase that burrowed its way underground. After reaching the bottom of the stairs, the group found themselves in a chamber. The room was rectangular and had six urns that lined the hall to the other side of the room. Sitting on top of the urns were flat dishes filled with water. There were small holes in the roof that allowed the moon's light to glisten inside. The moon's light reflected off the water and danced along the walls. At the opposite side of the room was a large, arched door made of stone. Engraved in the stone were strange carvings that created a picture.

Toxin commanded the illumise to shine her light at the door. After doing so, Toxin tried his best to make out what was on the door. What he saw looked like a glacier, at the peek was a sun shining its rays upon it. At the base were stick-figure pokemon bowed down before it.

"Excellent work, captain, I shall inform Tenebris of our progress before proceeding. For now, we shall set up camp and wait here until further instructions."

* * *

Magnus, the golurk, was surveying his surroundings as he stood at the edge of a cliff overhanging the rough ocean tides that slammed against the sharp, jagged rocks. Wind rustled the grass and the draping leafs of the nearby willow trees. Bored, Magnus decided to look once again at the engravings that have always been on his brass bindings. There were strange symbols that glowed a vibrant blue. The letters were incomprehensible to untrained pokemon, but they simply read "Jiik Tanyoot EmPelviar" which translates to "With Strength, I Burn."

Magnus clenched his fist tightly in hate remembering the unfateful day he enchanted his bindings. He knew the fact that enchanting was considered a gamble in these lands, but he ignorantly ignored every warning that was bestowed before him. The outcome was that the enchanting process ended up actually cursing his bindings rather than improving them, and it's now a mistake he had to live with.

'MAGNUS! HELP!' screamed a voice inside his head. The voice belonged to a young female.

The sound of flapping cut off the horrible memories. As Magnus looked back up, he spotted an altaria who was accompanied by a drifblim. Once the altaria landed, the drifblim forcefully pinned her to the ground by her neck.

"Status report," Magnus ordered.

The altaria coughed while struggling to reply. "Everything is the same as usual. Four guard towers, a few dozen patrols, and the guarded castle. A few water patrols and sky patrols too."

The drifblim nodded afterwards. The altaria was a forced spying asset for Magnus. The drifblim was sent to follow her since it was a ghost and was able to conceal its location. If the altaria were to try and escape, she would be killed by the ghostly balloon.

"Very well. We shall continue scouting the island until Tenebris gives our next planes. Just know, that when we finally do move in to conquer that island, you're life is no longer of use, altaria."

She had expected no less. Ever since she was captured by the Dark Legion, she already knew her time was limited. She sometimes considered herself lucky for staying alive as long as she had, but she was also unlucky for leading them right to the 'forgotten island.' She would bring death to all of the people she once knew there. She sometimes contemplated faking an escape attempt so the drifblim would just end her, but she knew that her job would just be replaced with another unfortunate soul. Now the altaria spends every moment just wishing for the war to end.

* * *

Banshee sat at a campfire, accompanied with her battalion of ghost pokemon. The flames reflected off of the crimson eyes of the mismagius. Most of the group were talking amongst each other. Banshee, however, was alone with her thoughts, staring blankly into the fire.

"Banshee, you seem troubled," whispered a doublade. "Do you need anything?"

"I need a lot of things, but nothing of which you could help me with."

Silence feel between the two before the doublade spoke again. "When are we planning to strike? We've been sitting here ever since that Mardol ship left."

"We'll strike when I know we're ready," she said in a sharp tone. "We only have one shot at this, and I don't want to have anything screwed up. I don't have an exact day as to when we will officially leave, just know it could be tomorrow or it could be a few weeks, it's entirely a mystery."

"Banshee," a ghastly blurted out as he rushed into the campsite coming from the trees, "the scouts have found something we think you should see for yourself"

Banshee seemed irritated, but decided to see what the fuss was. "Lead the way."

The ghastly began backtracking his way into the forest he came from. It wasn't exactly a short expedition, which only agitated banshee even more. After a while, they had all found themselves in the swampy area of Zerith, the only light source being that of the floating purple flames that flickered in the wind. Banshee instantly realized what the ghastly was talking about when she saw a bloody drapion lying on the ground, struggling to breath.

"You, you're one of those pokemon Tenebris is in charge of, aren't you." The drapion only managed to nod his head. "What the hell happened to you?"

"T-t-the fourth...l-light," the drain struggled to say. Every word he spoke caused more pain throughout his body.

"Pitiful. Ghastly, put this creature out of its misery."

"Wait!" Groaned the drapion. Banshee halted the ghastly for the time being. "'ere's still a b-buizel... sh-she got away..."

It took a moment for banshee to process the information, once she had, she realized the severity of the situation. "You let a buizel get away!? You moron!" As her anger shot up, a black aura wrapped its way around her body. "Do you have any idea what this means?" The drapion was too petrified to respond. "You have not only disobeyed an order given by Lord Tenebris, but you've also jeopardized our efforts in this war. Your actions are a form of treason, and will _not_ be tolerated."

The drapion was about to protest and defend himself, but before he was even given a chance to utter a single word, banshee hurled a black ball comprised of the surrounding darkness. The shadow ball mercilessly forced its way through the drapion's thick shell and rearranged his innards. The only remains were a bloody husk of what used to be a drapion, the black aura slowly ate away at the rest of his flesh and guts that were thrown inside out, displayed in a grotesque fashion.

"Fuck..." Banshee said, "how am I going to tell Tenebris about this before he gets to Mardol?"

"Shall we send a messenger?" Suggested the doublade.

"It's no use since we don't know the location of Tenebris. I'll have to inform him once he returns. Return to camp and wait for further instructions."

The doublade and ghastly complied as they followed banshee back to their camp. The black aura continued to devour the drapion all while the mud slowly swallowed what was left.

* * *

'Almost there,' Nightfang thought to himself.

He was completely out of breath after running nearly non-stop the past few days. He was both deprived of sleep and food. Luckily for him, he hadn't seen Angel since his last encounter, and he was sure he had lost her by now, considering where he was. He was currently in a location nicknamed 'Deadlands.' The ground was covered in black sand and ash. Many burnt tree stumps scattered the land, skeletal structures of pokemon were halfway buried beneath the sand, and the ground was flat like an open plain. He could see miles in any direction, and Angel would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

He could smell the familiar scent of the ocean, he knew he was close now. He then reached the side of a hill that slowly descended towards the beach. Sitting calmly by the shore was a pokemon familiar to him.

"You came back..." the pokemon said. It was none other than a honchkrow. This one, however, had pitch black feathers, and he wore a blindfold. The blindfold was black and had one yellow eye on the front.

"I needed to make sure you safely disposed of that cursed thing."

"You doubt my powers?"

"I do not doubt you, but I must inform you that they know."

"I know they know. I know everything, Nightfang. I sense this clever plan you thought out, but it shall all go in vein."

"What are you talking about?"

"She still follows. Hello, Angel."

Angel then materialized herself, showing a wicked grin. "Ah, I've been detected, so it appears."

" What!? I thought I lost you," Nightfang said, showing his teeth with a growl. "How did you follow me here?"

"Please, you will never be able to get rid of me. I simply teleported away from you every time you checked your surroundings. You eventually became complacent and let your guard down, saving me the hassle. Now, I'm done talking with you now that you've kindly lead me to this fellow over here. Where is the stone?"

"Heh, you expect a wise old bird like me to tell a dumb little girl like you?"

"Shut it! Unless you would rather me turn your flesh into string." Angel then raised her paw threateningly.

"What good would that do you? I'm the one who knows what happened to the stone. If you kill me, you'll never know where it is."

"He has a point," Nightfang said.

"Just tell me!"

The honchkrow let out a dry laugh. "It's long gone now, Angel. I had given the gem to a caravan salesman."

"You what!" Both Nightfang and Angel yelled in disbelief.

"Why the fuck would you do that!?" Angel continued. "Do you know how important that gem was? And you just gave it to some random pokemon?"

"Yes. I did this because he had told me to."

"Who's he?"

"The one who lives in a timeless dimension. Unlike the laws of cause and effect, he lives beyond causality and is free from all restrictions. He is forever evident in his dynamic eternity. He is both all and nothing. He exists in all universes, he is more or less in everything. He is the one that is all-demensional and zero dimensional at one and the same time. His existence is timely and timeless as it is spacial and spaceless. He is the origin of everything, everything has already been created; everything is made by him, though he is nothing."

"..." Both were speechless from the honchkrow's rambling.

"I expected as much. Then again, me, and those like me, all have truly broadened our spectrum to what is really in this world. We know everything while knowing nothing at the same time. Our level of knowledge exceeds fact itself. We have become blinded by what we know, while what we don't know gives us sight."

"What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Angel, do you not know that symbol on his blindfold?" Nightfang asked. She shook her head no. "That is the all seeing eye, the most knowledgeable pokemon were all part of an organization that is keeping the world balanced."

"That's the rather simplified version of what we are. Just knowing any information about our organization is impressive among any pokemon, especially you, Nightfang."

"As intrigued as I am to learn more, I'm still here for one reason. Where is that gem?"

"Allow me to predict something, Angel. Even if I told you the location of this gem, it wouldn't matter. I foresee a pokemon retrieving the gem by accident, and taking it to Whitestone. As you're aware, Tenebris is heading there right now. He will arrive before the stone is returned, but he will leave with one less person in his group while adding a new one."

"Stop being cryptic with me, damn it!"

The honchkrow let out a sigh. "Forgive me for overlooking your meager mind. The gem is currently in Jagorii."

"How the hell did it get there? No caravan would travel there."

"I shall explain. The caravan salesman had sold the gem to another pokemon who was mugged a couple of days later. The bandit sold the gem at a shop who's owner decided to have it shipped near the southern boarder of Zerith. Pirates attacked the ship, looted it, as then were overthrown by a Jagorii ship. One of the crewmembers took the gem and went into hiding. The gem is close to taking effect on him though."

"Fuck it all!" Angel said while slashing at the sand angrily. "This is _your_ fault, and I'm going to make you pay with your blood!"

Angel then leaped towards the honchkrow, but before she could sink her claws into his flesh, she froze in midair.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Trying to attack a blind bird such as myself. I'll let you off with a warning for now. Before I depart and let you kids have your fun, I'll leave you with a couple more important predictions. Nightfang, you hold the key to gates of despair, you mustn't unlock it or death shall follow. Angel, you will meet someone who is very similar to me, but different in every way. This pokemon is more than capable of spilling your blood, and the odds are in their favour. Lastly, I'll see each of you only one last time in your lifetimes, but forever after death."

The honchkrow then jumped from the ground and flew off into the horizon, slowly fading away. After he was out of sight, Angel found herself unfrozen, as her lunge continued and she fell flat on the ground. She quickly jumped up and brushed herself off; disregarding what had just happened, she turned to face Nightfang.

"You! This is all your fault, you worthless pooch," she said, as if she hadn't said the same words towards the honchkrow.

"The deed has been done, there's nothing left you can do."

"Thats where you're wrong. I was only instructed to follow you until I had learned more information, and now that I have what I needed, you're no longer needed on this planet."

Angel's claws began to radiate a black aura around them as she then pounced at Nightfang. Nightfang managed to jump back to a safe distance away from the hostile claws. The black aura had stained the air as Angel ripped through it, after a few seconds, the particles slowly faded away. Nightfang stayed on guard as he anticipated another attack. Angel lunged at the poochyena again. Nightfang ducked underneath her attack and rammed his head into her stomach, causing her to lose her breath.

While Angel was struggling on the floor, Nightfang quickly ran towards her and suck his teeth into her neck, just barely penetrating the flesh. Before he could bite down, Angel swung her paw backwards at his face, her claws scraping against his face. Nightfang yelled in pain as the dark aura began eating at his wound. Angel took the moment to continue attacking. She dug her fangs into the tuft of fur on the back of his neck and flung him into a dead tree. Afterwards, she charged full speed at him, lowering her head so her horn was pointed at him.

Nightfang decided to ignore his pain, and jumped out of the way. Angel then collided with the tree, her horn buried deep in its trunk. At the moment, she struggled to pull her horn out. Nightfang then used this to his advantage. In a rapid succession, he began slicing at her with his claws, each one reminding him that a claw was forcibly removed, and stung each time he ripped into her flesh.

Angel stomped her foot hard on the sand and forcefully ripped her horn out of the tree, which now head a few splinters in it. She charged at Nightfang and rammed him with her elbow, which she then followed up by uppercutting him with her other paw. Nightfang then found himself soaring in the air. Angel then jumped above him and carried her momentum into her tail to slam Nightfang back onto the ground. He groaned and coiled into his stomach from the pain he was now in. Angel made sure to specifically land on his stomach, now pinning him down. Doing so caused Nightfang to eject blood a bile from his mouth onto Angel's face.

She laughed to herself while wearing a wicked grin. "It's over, I've won. Quite a pity it had to end so soon."

"It's... not over... yet," Nightfang struggled to say.

A crackling fire swirled between his teeth. Since he was unable to reach her face, he bit down on her arm instead. Angel shrieked in pain while retracting her singed arm. She then attempted stabbing him with her claws to which Nightfang sidestepped and head butted her in the throat. Angel choked for air while she stepped back a bit, this gave Nightfang enough time for his next move. Like he did back in the snow, he quickly turned around and threw a bunch of the sand into Angel's eyes as he ran towards the ocean and jumped in. He located some driftwood which he dicided to cling on to.

"That was cheap!" Angel yelled while rubbing the sand from her eyes. Nightfang didn't respond, he was too breathless and sore. "Get back here and fight me, you pussy! You have no place to run to. What do you think Mardol will do when they see a dark type there? Huh? Face it, Nightfang, you're unwanted, no matter where you go." She slowly began building up another laugh. "Eventually you'll realize this, and eventually you'll come back. And when you do, I'll _rip_ your _fucking_ guts out and forcefeed them to you!"

Nightfang no longer cared for what she had to say, all he knew was that he needed to get to Mardol and find the gem before Tenebris did. This would be his last chance at stopping a greater evil, so he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. He did, however, ponder on what Angel had said. How will they act when they see a dark type there? Things will probably go bad more likely than not. For now, he decided to worry about that when he got there. He now had to focus on the fact that he was drifting aimlessly into the vast ocean.

* * *

 _ **Finally here with another chapter. I bet you're all probably disappointed having such a short chapter after a long wait. To be honest, this chapter has been finished for almost a month now, but I only recently spell and grammar checked. However, I did already start working on the next chapter, so hopefully it's not as long of a wait.**_

 _ **The main thing I should address about this chapter is the honchkrow. He is quite important to this story, I've just yet to find an interesting name for him. Also, he was a last minute character I just recently made that will affect a lot of the latter parts of this story. Also, I won't take credit for his cryptic speaking, it's actually inspired by teachings in a satanic book.**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. See you all next time.**_


	13. Chapter 12: Departure

_**Chapter 12**_

 _ **Departure**_

"There you go, steady now," Mystic said.

A bead of sweat dripped down Nixie's face as she tried to maintain utmost concentration. In front of her was a small ball levitating in the air, she was trying to carry it to another table. It had been stressful, but Nixie had finally learned how to channel her psychic powers and was just barely learning how to properly use it. Mystic was quite impressed with Nixie's progress, she was the fastest learner she ever taught, and she wasn't technically a psychic type either.

Before the ball did reach the other table Nixie felt a tickling sensation in her nose. She tried her hardest to ignore the sensation, as she realized it hindered her focus. Unfortunately, she couldn't resist what her body impulsively did. She let out a sneeze while losing her focus, all of which caused the ball to fall to the ground.

Nixie looked strongly disappointed in herself. "Damn it..." She sat on the ground and folded her arms.

"Do not beat yourself up Nixie, you are making a remarkable amount of progress in your learning sessions. I believe I have more than likely overworked you. You are not yet ready for too much rigorous training at this moment, but in due time you shall be. Nonetheless, I feel you have earned yourself a bit of a break, more or less. I grant you three days to yourself, but on the fourth day from now, it is back to training your mind and brain muscles yet again. Now go on, I have things I must attend to."

"Thank you, Mystic," Nixie said. Afterwards, Nixie made her way out of the castle and back to her house. She was very tired recently. She worked long hours and could hardly sleep with the strain her brain had to put up with. She was glad to finally get a couple days to herself.

As she went to turn the knob on her door, she looked over to the door that lead to Flint's household. 'I haven't seen Flint in a bit, I've been so busy working and I'm not usually done until after his working hours. I wonder how he's doing...' At that point, she contemplated paying him a visit, but she wasn't sure if it would seem weird since she had just recently met Flint.

Nixie hurriedly made a decision as she walked over to Flint's door and gave it three knocks. Afterwards, she felt nervous. How would she respond if Flint answered the door? Is he even home? Why was she knocking on the door in the first place? All of these questions rushed through her head.

After a moment, the door finally opened. Opening it was none other than Rose, she seemed to be struggling just opening the door in the first place, considering her height.

"Hello?" Rose said.

"Um... hi," Nixie replied timidly.

"Can I help you, Nixie?"

"Is Flint home by chance?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Nixie wasn't expecting things to go down this way. "I-I just wanted to see how h-he's doing...I haven't seen h-him around the castle recently."

"That's because he's been taking care of me the past couple of days. Anyway, to answer your question, no he's not here right now. Anything else you need? I kinda doubt you came here just to 'see' how Flint's doing.'"

Nixie had to admit, Rose was a bit too smart considering her age, she seemed to act smarter mostly when Flint wasn't around. Now she had to think of something to make the situation less awkward for her.

"Nixie?" Came Flint's voice as he approached the house. He was carrying a bag in his mouth, but his words were still audible. "What're you doing here?"

"I-I was just stopping by to see how you're doing."

"Oh, uh, how thoughtful. I've been fine. How about yourself?"

"I'm doing good... th-thank you. D-do you need help with that bag?"

"If you'd be so kind."

Nixie was more then happy to help Flint. She grabbed the bag and carried it into his house, setting it on a counter in his kitchen.

"So, what are your plans for tomorrow, Nixie?" Flint had asked.

"I don't have anything in mind, Mystic was nice enough to give me the next three days off though, so I might relax for a bit."

"How coincidental, I'm actually free for the next couple days too. I ran into Tesla earlier today in the market; they're both leaving tomorrow to complete their next bounty. Before they leave though, Rose and myself were going to visit them tomorrow, you're welcome to join as well."

"Sure, what time are you leaving?"

"Im not too sure yet, I'll come to you when the two of us are ready."

"Wait," Rose interrupted, "Tesla and kindle are leaving? Where are they going?"

"You know, I didn't really ask. You can inquire about it tomorrow." Rose pouted a bit, feeling slightly upset they were leaving so soon.

Nixie was feeling tired from her relentless training sessions with mystic, she was glad she was able to check up on Flint. "I-I think I should get going now," Nixie spoke up.

"Oh, well thanks for stopping by, guess we'll see each other tomorrow."

Nixie waved the two goodbye leaving Rose and Flint by themselves. Rose curiously looked at the bag that Flint had brought. "What's in the bag?" She asked.

"Oh, you know, just some food and some more of those..." Flint cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed to say the correct word, "...things when you're in heat."

"Im just glad it's finally over, that was the weirdest thing I can remember feeling."

"Yeah... I'm sure it was..." Flint struggled to continue the conversation seeings as he was a male and couldn't relate to the heat cycles females went through.

* * *

Kindle was using her tongue and teeth to groom her matted fur. The fennekin enjoyed sleeping to stay energetic everyday, but disliked that tossing and turning in her sleep tangled her fur. She was in the middle of grooming her right side when the door to her room suddenly flung open, revealing Tesla on the other side.

"Tesla? Where the hell have you been? I was worried something bad possibly happened," Kindle said, hopping off her bed and walking towards the mareep.

"I was enjoying the sites here in Whitestone."

"You didn't even invited me? I would have enjoyed joining you, you know..."

"Look, Kindle," Tesla began as he hopped onto his bed and stretched, "you and I are always traveling together. I see you almost every minute of every day, I need a break from you. That's essentially what I did. I left so you could relax while you're here too."

"I couldn't go anywhere though, you're the one who has our coins, we're supposed to be sharing what we have with one another. You could have left me a little something, given me a heads up that you were leaving instead of leaving me here worried about you."

"Yet you stayed here in this room?"

"You don't think I _tried_ looking for you? Believe it or not, but it's not exactly easy to find one pokemon in a city crowded with thousands. We need some communication with each other, I don't want to have the feeling that you're not safe-"

"Just stop worrying so much about me, I'm perfectly fine on my own," Tesla interrupted, a hint of annoyance hidden in his voice. Kindle knew him well enough to spot it.

"Well if you're so fine by yourself, why do we even venture together as a _team_?"

"Like I've said on multiple occasions, your past life as a thief comes in handy; you can pick locks, you have slight-of-paw, and you're very quiet on your toes. You've had a fare share of times you've been useful."

"That's it? I'm just a tool for you? It never was about building a friendship to you, was it? You dragged me along with you for so long for your own personal gain." Tesla was about to interrupt, but Kindle spoke over him. "All of those locks I picked for you, they belonged to chests with various coins and whatnot. You made me steal... steal from innocent pokemon because you said 'our funds were low.' Yet, at the same time, you conveniently always have the coin to buy a drink, grab some food... or grab another one of those cheap girls from the brothel..."

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

"I'm not dumb, Tesla, contrary to popular belief. I'm very observant of my surroundings, I listen to what you all say, I pretend not to. I know a lot of pokemon think I'm annoying, or just some dumb fennekin, but arceus damn it, I'm not. That night in Bark Leaf, right after we exited the cave, the first thing you did was use or coins to drink with Flint that night. You know what happens when you drink? You close your mind, and you're all of the sudden a new person. Even more than that, you become more lustful.

"All of the other inns we stayed at on previous adventures, you would always come back smelling like alcohol and carried the scent of some other pokemon. The next day, I'd notice a lump some of our coins missing, and I knew it all couldn't have been from JUST alcohol. I know you, Tesla, and one thing I know for sure is that you're very light weight with those dangerous liquids, you become drunk too quickly. I started putting two and two together, and though I don't have enough proof, it just seemed the most likely that you had been paying pokemon for services.

"Deep down, I wanted to believe it wasn't true, but there was just so much pointing towards the fact... and the more I realized it was what you were doing, it just... I don't know how to say it... it makes my heart choke in a way... That night you drank with Flint, after you came back, you... tried to force yourself onto me..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tesla interjected, not wanting to believe what she had said.

"You tried to fuck me, you were so drunk you don't even remember it that well, or at all. You didn't have time to grab one of those skanks at a brothel, so you tried you're next best bet."

"Damn, at least I think logically while drunk," Tesla said to himself.

"What the hell do you mean?" Kindle said, taken off guard by the comment.

Tesla made a smirk, despite the serious atmosphere in their argument. "I'm just as observant as you, Kindle. You see, I've noticed the way you talk to me, look at me, and act around me. It's different from how you act around any other pokemon. It's not an easily noticeable thing, but I caught on a while ago, and started humoring you."

"W-what do you mean?" She said, with confidence slowly draining from her voice.

"Just admit it already, you like me, a lot. For so long you've been wanting to do lustful things with me. It becomes more noticeable when you're going through your heart cycles. Sometimes you slip just a bit and don't catch yourself. I noticed, and I played along, slowly trying to get you to admit it. When I was drunk that night and tried to push myself onto you, it's because I subconsciously already knew you had been crushing on me, so with no other options available, I used that to my advantage. You ever heard the saying 'a drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts?' Well, that too applied to that incident. You see, Kindle, I'm not against the thought of you and I doing... stuff. I just don't love you back."

With those words said, it was as if Kindle's heart had been suffocated, and a void formed in her stomach. It was painful to love someone and then have them shred all hope of a relationship forming. She felt so dumb for wanting to love him after knowing what he does with other girls. Her heat made it to where it had a mind of its own. She found it harder to think negatively about Tesla while in heat, but her cycle had passed, his words were a hammer burying a nail into her chest.

The emotional and mental pain caused a couple tears to form in her eyes. She tried to conceal them from Tesla, to make him think she wasn't as affected as much as she was. But it was futile, the tears had already stained her fur. Tesla took the hint and headed towards the door again.

"I know you'll probably hate me from here on out," Tesla continued, "That's understandable. Just know I don't hate you... Someone as kind and caring as you deserves someone SO MUCH better than myself... Also, I know this is last minute, but we're leaving tomorrow. Before we go, we'll be meeting up with Flint and Rose."

Tesla knew there was no better way of wording it, though it already sounded like Kindle wasn't given an option on the matter. She just sat in silence as the tears burned from her eyes. From there, Tesla made his exit.

* * *

Nixie woke up the next morning feeling completely rejuvenated. She noticed no sunlight bled into her home, meaning she had woken up to her internal alarm clock again. Nixie sometimes found it annoying how her body decided to wake up the same time everyday, no matter how exhausted she was or how late she stayed up.

She assumed she had some time to get ready before Flint arrived, so first on her agenda was to bathe. Being a water-type had its benefits, for one, Nixie had an unlimited supply of water, just as long as she was healthy. Secondly, some water-type pokemon could learn scold, allowing them to heat up their water. This was no exception for her. Using her internal reservoir, she filled her tub with streaming water.

Coming from a colony, bathing wasn't as advanced as the pokemon in Whitestone bathed. She normally would soak in the water cleaning dirt from her fur to the best of her abilities. Mystic had informed her of various fragrances used as well as mixtures of herbs and berries that gave the body a deeper cleaning. After learning more about the advanced grooming standards, Nixie's fur gradually became softer and more colorful. She was happy when Flint started taking notice of it too.

While bathing, she started getting lost in her thoughts.

'Everything feels... perfect. There I was, on the verge of death, ready to die, and all of the sudden I'm saved and brought to this city. I'm given a home, I met Flint, Rose, and their friends, and now I'm getting paid to learn... But, something doesn't feel right. Mystic says I have psychic powers, and I know I do, I've seen it first hand while training. She says its a hereditary thing from some pokemon that was once a psychic type... It doesn't add up though. None of it adds up. There's plenty of pokemon that come from psychic fathers or grandfather's, but non psychic mothers. Why don't they have these powers? Or have they just not found these powers yet? I feel... that there's a lot more missing from this puzz-'

A knock on the door not only interrupted her thoughts, but also startled her, causing her to jump out of the bathtub. Knowing it was Flint, she quickly dried her fur and rushed to open the door. However, standing behind the door was not Flint, instead, it was a manectric, Rykon.

"Good morning Nixie. How've you been?"

She always had a gut feeling not to trust the shiny manectric, especially after the warning Psyche had given her.

"How do you know where I live?" She asked, ignoring his question.

"Im a royal guard, one of my jobs is to know the residence of each member working on the castle. I know where the guards live, the cooks, maids, and miscellaneous workers. You know, it's kinda funny how we work in the same place, yet I never see you. In fact, I haven't seen you since the tour I gave you and those friends of yours."

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm coming to check on you, see if you're busy today. If not-"

"I'm spending my day with Flint and the others," Nixie interrupted.

"Oh? Doing what exactly?"

"I don't know just yet," Nixie answered truthfully.

"Hmm. Well, when you're not so busy, perhaps you and I could visit each other? I know of some various sorts of entertainment around the city. In fact, there's a festival next week, you should come."

Nixie wanted to reject the offer due to Psyche's warning, but she couldn't just assume either seeings as he had made it feel no more than casually hanging out.

"Perhaps."

"Well, if you ever reach a conclusion, you know where to find me."

Rykon eventually left leaving Nixie alone again in her home. Time seemed to pass more slowly now that she awaited Flint's arrival. She looked in her mirror and noticed some of her fur had tangled up in several locations. She used her remaining freetime to properly brush her fur, trying to look her best for the day. Once again, a knock came from her door causing her heart to nearly skip a beat. She gave one last look at herself in the mirror, after she felt content, she rushed to the door opening up to both Rose and Flint on the other side.

"Ready?" Flint asked, a quick wag from his tail casted by the energy he gained from a well deserved rest.

"Yup, do you know where we're heading to?"

"Yeah, Tesla said he wanted to meet in the western market so he could then take us someplace he had in mind."

Flint then led the way towards the marketplace, continuing the conversation. "So, I don't see you around the castle that often, and I know you work there too, but what is it that you actually do in the castle?"

"I'm an assistant for Mystic," Nixie replied. It was the quick answer she was taught to say, as it technically wasn't a lie and it was vague enough not to hint about what she'd actually been doing.

"Assisting with all of her paperwork and whatnot?"

"Yeah... something like that."

"Flint?" Rose called. "Why do I have to go to the daycare whenever you work?"

"I dont feel comfortable leaving you home alone."

"You've done it plenty of times these past couple days."

"Yes, that's because of your circumstances right now."

"That shouldn't matter. I don't like it there, I'm the oldest pokemon there and all of the kids are annoying," Rose pouted.

"Well, if anything, I could always schedule a playdate with you and Mystic's children."

"Mystic has children?" Rose asked out of shock.

"Mhm, I was a bit shocked at first too, but it makes sense since she's mated. Usually it's the first thing two pokemon do when they become mates."

"What's a mate?" Rose asked.

"A mate is a a pokemon you consider more significant than any other. You share a type of emotion you don't really share with a lot of other pokemon: love. It's an indescribable type of love, but once the two pokemon share that emotion, it's like seeing the entire world through new eyes."

Nixie knew just then, that's exactly what she'd been feeling. She had been feeling the emotion of love for Flint. She didn't know too much about it, but made a mental note to find out more about it.

"You word it like you've experienced it before. Did you have a mate at one time, Flint?" Rose continued.

"...Yeah... at one point."

"What happened to her? You look sad. Did something bad happen to her?"

"How about a topic change?" Flint suggested.

Rose was bored knowing Flint wasn't going to speak about it. "What about you, Nixie, did you have a mate back where you're from?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Why not? Shouldn't it be easier for females to find mates since males contribute to make up most of the population?"

"I- uh, just never found anyone, I guess."

"Hey, Flint, is it mandatory to mate?"

"No, it's just about as optional as any other life decision you make."

"That's good, I don't think I'd want a mate. Especially after that... talk we had." Rose lightly shivered remembering how disgusted she was by the topic.

"Don't let my words influence your opinions at all Rose, but I feel it'd be beneficial for you to find a mate. Just, probably, not anytime soon..."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, like everyone is saying, a lot of pokemon think eevee are scarce right now. The population is basically non-existent at this point. Weather or not it's true about you being the only eevee in existence right now is quite questionable. I find it hard to believe when we live in such a large world with so many undiscovered locations and secrets that hardly even the high profiled officials know about. If it is true though, I feel you finding a mate would help begin the repopulation of your kind."

"I haven't thought of it too much like that, but if I am the only eevee, I feel special. It's almost like I'm a legendary pokemon. To me, it feels great to be the only pokemon of my kind!"

Nixie felt a bit of emotional pain, having to remember that she was in the same predicament as Rose. She, however, found it more depressing, having everyone she once knew no longer exist. Rose couldn't relate since she never grew up around eevee.

"Look," Flint said, "there's Tesla and Kindle over there." Flint used his paw to point out where the two were in fact standing.

"There you guys are," Tesla began, as they approached, "I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up."

"It'd be pretty rude of me not to, I do consider you a friend after all."

"Oh, and I see you brought Nixie along."

"You don't mind, do you?"

"I'd sound like an asshole if I said yes. - Not saying it is a problem," Tesla said, quickly correcting himself as to not come out rude.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Food is always on my mind, I was thinking of having a picnic on top of the hill. We could buy our food in the market and then head out before the sunset. After that, Kindle and I will head out, that should be around the time our ship leaves."

"Tesla," Rose began, "where are you two heading off? Flint told me you two were leaving today, but I'm curious as to where your next adventure will be to."

"Ah, yes, we are doing a quick task a bit northeast in a place that was named the forgotten island."

Rose quickly gasped, "Flint, isn't that where Emalra said she was heading?"

Flint had to think for a minute. "Yes, I believe so. Heh, your memory is a bit better than mine."

"I think Rose would make a fine espeon," Tesla said.

"No! I don't want to be an espeon," Rose said in a childish manner with a hint of sarcasm, implying she was somewhat joking about her childish behaviour.

"What do you plan on evolving into, Rose?" Nixie asked.

"I've been asked that a lot. It's almost like an obligation that I _have_ to evolve. But what if I don't want to evolve? What if I just want to stay an eevee and keep my name."

Kindle spoke up for the first time, which no-one seemed to noticed she was there until she did. "What do you mean by that? Keep your name?"

"Oh yeah, they told me, at the daycare, that eevee are given names at birth; once they evolve, they usually change it into something special to the typing of their new evolution. For instance, the Princess had a different name when she was an eevee and changed it to Starshine once she evolved. Years ago, when eevee where more abundant, you would usually hear names like Vapor, Shock, or Blaze after they evolved."

"That actually makes a lot more since," Tesla said, "I always assumed they were born with the name and they just so happened to evolve into the correlating evolution. I wonder if other pokemon with multiple evolutions do something similar?"

"Anyway," Flint interrupted, "we should get ready for the picnic before we end up talking until sunset."

* * *

The group gathered fresh produce and other accessories they'd need for the picnic. Once they were content, they each walked to the top of the hill. Everyone did their part in carrying items, Nixie being the most useful since she had arms. Tesla grabbed a blanket from his bag and spread it out on the grass, everyone followed forth by placing the food in the blanket.

"So, about the raw meat," Flint said, while eyeing the fresh, juicy meat, "is Kindle assisting in cooking it or are we enjoying it raw?"

"Actually," Tesla said, "we'll be doing something a little less common. I'll be cooking the meat with my electricity."

Flint was intrigued. "How does that work?"

"I was a security guard, not a scientist. All I remember is that it has a very distinct taste once cooked. It'll take a bit though, so enjoy the fruits I guess." Tesla circuited a current from his body to the orb on his tail. The ball lit up brightly and produced a monotone humming sound. Tesla then placed the orb on the meat and began cooking it.

Flint gave an awkward stare, not too sure what to think. "So, back on topic with evolutions, when are you two expecting to evolve?" He asked both Kindle and Tesla.

"I'm actually past my evolution expectancy date, I've been holding back."

"What? Why would you do that?"

"Power, in a way. It's like pushing your body to do more. I'm supposed to be a flaffy right now, but I'm resisting my urge to evolve. Doing so helps my body grow stronger and enhance my electrical abilities. There's a lot more scientifical stuff involved in it, but I don't care too much to look it up. All I know is the longer I wait to evolve, the quicker I become stronger."

"Interesting. How about you, Kindle?"

Kindle seemed lost in thought, only joining the conversation after hearing Flint call her name. "Oh, um, evolution? I should be evolving..." she thought for a moment, "well, soon actually. I'm already quite matured and developed for a fennekin, it's just a matter of time now."

Tesla then redirected the conversation. "And what about you, Flint? When do you plan on becoming an arcanine?"

"I've thought about it, but I'm not planning on evolving for a while. I still have plenty of years for my current state to mature properly. Also, I have no clue where I'd even find a fire stone. We had plenty back in Ashmond, but we used them for celebratory reasons once a growlithe passed their final test to become hunters."

"Test?"

"Oh yes, we growlithe are big on tradition and heritage. Our final test is what proved we are worthy of evolving and loyal to our alpha. I don't know too much about what the specifics of the test were, we just know the broad explanation that a group of growlithe are sent into the wilderness to survive on their own for two weeks. Usually half the growlithe come back alive, they're roughed up, skinnier, and dirty too. It's every growlithe's dream to go through the test..." Flint trailed off a bit, a slight bit of melancholy in his voice.

"...You mentioned you left your tribe... you can't do that test, can you?" Tesla asked.

Flint's ears slumped downward and he stared at the ground. "No... I can't..."

Nixie had never seen Flint sad before, seeing him this way made her feel sad too. She wanted to try and comfort him, but struggled to find the correct words to say. Instead, she placed her hand on his shoulder, she mentally took a note of how soft his fur was and the warmth he naturally generated. Though Flint didn't say anything, she could tell he appreciated the friendly gesture.

"I forgot to ask you, Nixie," Tesla said, trying to change the present mood, "when are you expecting to evolve."

Nixie flinched a bit from his outburst, "I think it'll be a bit. Buizel usually evolve later in adulthood."

No one seemed to have been paying attention, but Tesla was now finished with the meats. A pattern stretched out across the meat, and its color had darkened from a red to a brown.

"Well, guys, tell me what you think of this."

Each of the pokemon grabbed a slab of the meat and began biting into it. Everyone was greeted with a very juicy and flavorful experience of the tender meats. As Tesla had said, it had a distinct flavor that was quite indescribable. Nonetheless, it was good, and everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

"Holy arceus, this is great," Flint said.

"Thanks, I actually came up with this by accident."

"How do you do this by accident."

"Don't ask. Let's just say I get very curious at times."

"Guys, look!" Rose said, pointing to the horizon.

The sun was finally setting for the day. The bright, orange ball of fire said its goodbye by painting a beautiful display of colors in the sky. As it slowly descended, candle flames were lit throughout the city, and occasionally a star would breath life into the sky as the sun struggled to overpower the sky with its brilliance. All five of the Pokemon were mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the natural event that happened daily.

Nixie looked over to Flint, the sun looked like a brilliant fire reflecting off of his orangish eyes. The wind brushed against his fur softly, and the remaining light outlined the detail of his body. Looking at him made Nixie feel happy. She just couldn't keep her eyes off of him, she was too drawn in to how cute he looked. Just staring at him, she could feel the gradual increase in her heartbeat the unnerved way she started breathing.

The, sun had finally finished setting, leaving only a reddish color fading to blue in the sky. Nixie finally mustered the ability to look away from Flint before something awkward happened. Apparently Rose had feel asleep during the sunset, she was now curled into a ball.

"Hey, Nixie, you mind if I talk to you alone real quick?" Tesla said.

"Uh, sure," she replied, unsure what he needed to talk about.

Tesla then lead Nixie a good way away from the group. Once he felt he was a good distance away from them to hear, he continued. "What do you think of Flint?"

Nixie felt a chill run through her body. Was she that easy to figure out, or was she over thinking the question? "I, uh, he's pretty cool... He's nice and all, I think he's a good-"

"That's not what I mean. I saw how you were looking at him during the sunset. I saw how you got embarrassed the other day. I see a lot of interest you have towards. You like him, don't you?" Nixie was now blushing, but she nervously shook her head. "Why exactly? I'm not discouraging you, I'm just curious."

Nixie then realized she had to bring up the night her tribe was murdered, as that was the night she wished on the star. She still wasn't ready to admit the full truth. "I don't know really, his personality just clicked with me I guess," she half lied.

"When do you plan on telling him?"

"I don't know, I'm really shy and nervous... he doesn't know, does he?"

"No, Flint is kinda oblivious right now. That's not exactly good for you either because he doesn't show interest in you just yet. He just thinks you're a friend right now. If you want to get more of that 'extra attention' from him, you need to make yourself stand out a bit."

"Wait, are you giving me advice?"

"Yes. I'm doing this to benefit both you and Flint. Flint hasn't had a girl in his life in years, maybe. He uses Rose as an excuse not to have any mate. I think Flint just needs to live a little bit again, and you look like a good starting point for him."

"You really think so?"

"Yes. Now, what you've got to do is get his attention. Make it clear that you want to be more than friends without being blunt about it. The best staring point is physical contact. what you did to comfort him is a start, but step it up a bit, such as hugs."

"Hugs?"

"Yeah, it's a common feminine gesture, he more than likely won't refuse a hug. The hug is your starting point in dropping hints. Don't make it a regular, friendly type of hug. Hug him like you actually mean it."

"Then what?"

"I don't have time to give you all the advice I know. I'm just giving you a stepping stone for now. Continue gestures similar to the hug as days go by, just remember not to make it too obvious until it's the right time."

"When's the right time?"

"Follow your gut. As bland and overused as that sounds, it actually works. Just follow through with what you feel is best."

"Alright. Thank you Tesla."

"Dont thank me yet. Also, here's another bit of advice. Don't be clingy. If you're always spending time with Flint, it's still encouraging a friendship between you two. Distance yourself every once in a while. If he offers to hang out, accept it sometimes and make excuses other times. Don't make Flint the only male friend you hang out with. If he sees you spending more time with other guys, he might get jealous; add that on top of the time away from him and he feels neglected."

"What good is that?"

"He'll be even happier to see you, making it feel more rewarding."

"Wow, that sounds very helpful."

"It is, just listen to what I've told you and follow your gut. You'll notice some behavior changes in no time. With that out of the way, we should get back to the others before Kindle and I miss our ship."

* * *

"Hey, Nixie, you mind if I talk to you alone real quick?" Tesla said.

"Uh, sure," she replied, getting up and following Tesla.

Flint looked over to Rose. He admired how peaceful she looked while she was asleep. He then looked over to Kindle, she seemed lost in thought.

"Hey, Kindle, you okay? You've been rather quiet today."

She let out a sigh. Tesla was gone, Rose was dead asleep. "Tesla and I talked last night..."

"Oh no, is everything fine?"

"Not really. We kinda had an argument last night..." From there, Kindle informed Flint on the entire conversation from the prior night, while leaving out some of the explicit things they conversed about.

"Wow, that's... rough. So why are you still traveling with him then?"

"I'm just gonna go with him to the forgotten island and stay there. He'll be nothing more than a faded memory at some point. I have no need being around him anymore if he's just going to use me as a tool."

"I'm sorry what happened happened. I vaguely understand your struggles and commend your decisions, but making it your goal to isolate yourself away from him won't do much good. Just make it clear to him that you want to part ways."

"I intend to... I don't even know why I liked him in the first place. Something about running into him at the museum hooked my attention."

"How exactly did that situation go down?"

"Well, like Tesla tells the story, he never turned me in to the guards nor did he try to fight me. He saw me lying on the floor, I was cut up pretty bad from all of the shattered glass. That's when our eyes met. His were a black void, hard to read anything from them. That night, his were full of anger and another emotion: worry. He dragged me away from the glass and checked my wounds to make sure I was okay. After ensuring I was fine, that's when he started asking questions. He had heard rumors of me, apparently I was good enough at my job to have those. That's when he then gave me a lecture and intimidated me. After all of that, he tossed me out the door, I then had to fend for myself for the night."

"That doesn't sound like an ideal romance story."

"You're missing a key point though. Tesla was different from other guards... He cared about my safety before doing his job. Not a lot of guards are like that... I know that from a few friends of mine who didn't make it back from missions."

"And Tesla was a bit of a turning point in your life?"

"Mhm, after I survived the cold night, I went to a church of Mew to start repenting. From then on, I was no longer a thief. After clearing my history and picking myself back up in life, I visited Tesla while he was working. He recognized me." Kindle let out a half laugh. "I basically explained that all to him and he and I started hanging out every now and then. One thing led to another and we eventually stated bounty hunting together. That then led us to where I'm at right now, and I'm not too sure what I plan to do next. I'm sure I'll find something in the forgotten island."

"Well, whatever it is you choose to do, I wish you the best of luck. Also, I know Tesla may have... made poor decisions, but try your best not to hate him. Just accept things for what they are and strive to be better than those around you."

Kindle smile and gave Flint a hug. "Thanks, Flint. It really does feel nice to have someone to talk to about all of this."

"It's no problem. If you ever need to talk to me in the future, I'll more than likely still be living here."

Tesla and Nixie were now walking back into sight. The time had come. Tesla and Kindle now had to go to their ship for departure. Not wanting to wake Rose up, Flint scooped her up with his head and had her rest on his back. The walk was slow and quiet, no one seemed to have anything to say. They had eventually reached the pier. A swellow was at the brow of a docked ship, collecting tickets from those boarding the ship.

"Hey, Rose" Flint said gently, "did you want to say goodbye to Kindle and Tesla before they left?"

Rose slowly woke up and saw she was at the pier now. Looking forward, she saw Kindle and Tesla ready to. "So soon?"

"I'm afraid so," Kindle said.

Rose hopped off of Flint's back and ran up to Kindle embracing her in a hug. "I don't want you to leave, Kindle, you're the only pokemon we've gone on a bounty with that I get along with."

"Trust me, Rose, I don't want to leave either," Kindle said with emphasis, reminding Tesla she wasn't given an option. "Goodbye, Rose."

"Goodbye, Kindle. If you by chance run into a butterfree named Emalra out there, let her know I said hi."

"I will."

"Well, this looks like goodbye for now, Tesla," Flint said while shaking his paw.

"So it is, but not all goodbyes are fever. It was nice working with you, Flint. Catch ya around. And don't forget my advice to you, Nixie."

"Bye, Flint," Kindle said with one final hug.

After they were finished exchanging goodbyes, Tesla and Kindle boarded the ship. Flint, Rose, and Nixie waited at the pier, watching as the ship began to sail away. They weren't sure when they would cross paths again, if at all.

"Are you guys still free to hang out again tomorrow?" Nixie asked, as they were walking back to their homes.

"I don't see why not, we do finally have a day off."

"We already had an eventful day today, Flint," Rose whined, "can't we just stay home and relax?"

"Oh, hush, today was still relaxing enough. Also, there's tons of things to do in this city."

"Like what?"

"We could watch a play, go to the Whitestone garden, there's the beach, and that little cove next to the beach."

"How about the garden then?"

"Sounds good to me. We'll see you tomorrow Nixie, goodnight."

* * *

The next day was just like any other, a clear blue sky, a busy city with pokemon traveling the streets, children laughing and playing in the streets, and the aroma of food lingering in the air. Nixie, Flint, and Rose were all heading towards the Whitestone garden, which was in the north western section of the city.

The building was a large glass dome with vines and leaves sprouting out of it and acting like a curtain to keep the inside a surprise for new visitors. Eventually, when the group was inside, they were greeted with a breathtaking view. The dome bred life to countless amounts of trees, flowers, and other plants from around the world. The dome was also split in sections to simulate different climates for the plants to grow in.

"Look, Flint," Rose said, while skipping over to a patch of flowers, "aren't these Mardol mountain blues beautiful?"

"They are. Says here they are only found during the winter atop the mountains, the frozen soil supports their growth."

"I think I read somewhere that they use them for burn healing potions," Nixie added.

"There's so many plants in here," Rose chimed, "I never thought I'd be so fascinated by something so simple."

Flint smiled at the hyper, little eevee. He then turned his attention to a tree and approached it. "No way, I haven't seen one of these in a LONG time."

"What is it," Nixie said, stepping beside him. The tree was very thick and had grey bark. The leafs were a dark green, and the roots sometimes burrowed out of the ground making intricate designs.

"This is a Grey Oakroot, these are native to Ashmond. My tribe would usually make dens right where the roots come out. We would also dig into the bark to retrieve it's sap which was perfect for an adhesive. The wood was nice, but not as long lasting as a Charcoal Pine."

"That's fascinating, I wonder if they have any trees native to where my tribe is from?"

"Possible, let's go look. Do you know any names?"

"I was never told what type of tree it was, but we had this one really old tree that had beautiful colors. The bark had a blue tint and the leafs were a reddish color. We used it as a shrine to pray to our idles."

"Hmm, blue bark and red leafs. We could ask an employee. Come on, Rose, we're moving." Flint walked around looking for someone who possible worked at the garden. After finding a tropius watering some other strange plants, he decided he was the best bet. "Excuse me sir, we're looking for a tree that we don't quite know the name of. It has blue bark and red leafs."

The tropius had to think for a moment. "Can't say I've seen any here. You can always try the central section of the garden, that's where we keep our rarest plants. There may be some staff members there who can help you."

"Alright, thanks."

The group then headed to the said location, but they were stopped by a crowd of pokemon waiting to get in.

"What's the hold up?" Rose asked.

An aipom standing in front of them overheard Rose's question. "We're all waiting to see the most exotic plants in the world! They only let so many pokemon in at a time, that way they have less risk of ignorant pokemon harming these natural phenomenons."

So they waited. The line inched closer and closer to the door, peaking their interests more and more to what was on the opposite side of the doors. Nixie was excited to see her colony's sacred tree once more, but she was also interested at what other mysterious plants would be in the other room. Then their time came as the workers let them in with a small group of pokemon. There were only a total of five plants in the room, the one in the center being completely sealed by glass. Nixie looked around, but was slightly disheartened to not see anything similar to her tree.

"Hello, pokemon," a female vileplume introduced, "I'll bee your quick tour guide through these exotic plants. First, we'll talk about these flowers you see blooming in the pond over here." The vileplume pointed to strange looking plants that had yellow stems with red buds that were surrounded by a bubble. "These are called Dew drop lilies, they were originally discovered when Mardol was in its infancy. The bubbles you see around the buds slowly grow over time, but it's made of a soft mucus-like material, wich happens to be very toxic. The soldiers of Mirrosa's third battalion used the poison to assassinate hundreds of pokemon in one night.

"Next, I bring your attention to this tree." The tree had a slim trunk made of white bark while golden, yellow leafs decorated the top. "These trees have been nicknamed the Forest Oasis, as it will definitely make you do a double take and question yourself. The origin of these plants are from the dens forests scattered around our planet. These trees somehow constantly generate purified water, which can be harvested after boring into them.

"Over here are some bushes that were found in Zerith." The vileplume pointed to a shrub that had pitch black leafs bearing white fruits. "This is known as the Necrotic Limbretta, a creepy looking shrub that produces flavorless fruit. These fruit appear to do nothing, so their purpose remains unknown.

"Before we show you our final plant, we'll be showing off these recently discovered mushrooms that are native to Jagorii." The last exhibit showed a rock sprouting red, opaque mushrooms that had appendages dripping from the head of the mushroom. "These are known as Radial Red's and sometimes referred to as Spirit Shrooms. These mushrooms constantly radiate a crimson red glow from their body, but be warned, the light causes skin damage and slowly eats away at it.

"And lastly, is our most famous and most rare plant here. It's none other than the Mew Spore." Flint had recalled Aurora mentioning said flower back when they were entering the cave. Now he would finally get to see one. The flower was rather large, the petals were a pink color that had a different tint to them depending on the angle you looked at them. Lastly, white particles sparkled beneath the sun's ray of light. "Not much is know about the Mew Spore, but this is one of the only two known in existence. Many pokemon have theorized what the plant may be, but we will never know for sure. We hope you all enjoyed the tour. Now if you could all politely leave in an orderly fashion so we could get the next group through here."

Flint waited for the crowd to die down a but before he approached the vileplume. "Excuse me miss, I'm looking for a tree real quick. It has blue bark and red leafs. Do you by chance have one in your garden?"

The vileplume put a hand to her chin in thought. "I can't say I've seen any tree like that before. If you find any more information on it, please feel free to inform us, we're always accepting new plants."

Nixie was a little disappointed, but started wondering if her tree was by chance considered exotic as well. She didn't know too much about the tree, only that she'd never seen anything like it. After viewing a few more plants, the group decided on moving to more interesting things.

Rose seemed to be happier than usual as she skipped down the street. "Wow, that was great! I wasn't expecting it to be so fun."

"It was pretty interesting," Flint said, "I saw a lot of plants I never would have imagined existed. A bit of a bummer we couldn't find that tree you mentioned, Nixie. It sounds visually pleasing to look at."

"It's fine. The way I see it is that I know of a tree not a lot of other pokemon know about. The tree could be just as exotic as the other plants we saw."

"That would be something to brag about. Where do you guys want to go next?"

"Can we go to the cove by the beach?" Rose asked, "I've been wanting to go there ever since Rykon mentioned it on the tour."

"I don't see why not, we've got plenty of time today."

Rose jumped with happiness, starting to sprint the directing of the beach. Flint decided to let her burn her energy, he figured she would be tired later and would have to carry her again. Whenever Rose got too far, she would do a half run back to Flint and Nixie ensuring they were keeping up.

Nixie realized now was one of the only times she was alone with Flint. She now contemplated starting to make moves to give him hints about her interest in him, but was a bit unsure what she should do. Tesla said to trust her gut, but her gut was just as unsure as she was. This was a common struggle for a shy introvert such as herself. For now, she decided on holding a conversation.

"You know, I-I really appreciate you letting me hang out with you today. I've been stressed with my recent work."

"It's no problem at all, I enjoy hanging out with you. I can't speak for Rose, this is the first time she's really been around you for a long period of time."

"Speaking of Rose, I remember you mentioning that she isn't your child, and you're just a caretaker, but have you ever considered adopting her as your child?"

"The thought has crossed my mind occasionally, but Rose considers me as a father figure in her life. I'm pretty content with that."

"What about..." Nixie trailed off a bit, over thinking the context of her next words, but went with her gut feeling, "...a mother figure. Both are essential when raising one as young as her."

"I haven't thought too much about a mother figure. Kindle gave her... a talk about female stuff not too long ago, she has the chansey at the daycare -that's a bad example actually- but there's also Mystic, she'll be teaching Rose some other... things here soon."

After a few moments later, they had reached the beach area. As they remember, the cove was just west of there, carved into the side of the mountain that isolated the city. All three of them traversed the sand heading to the presumed location. There it was. A large cave naturally carved into the side of the mountain. The hole was wide enough for a ship to fit inside.

The three entered the cove in awe. The interior was quite spacious, the floor and roof were crowded with the usual stalagtite and stalagmite that collected water from the humid air. The sun was at the right angle that it reflected of the water into the back most wall. Rose was mesmorized by the sight of it all. Without much thought, she started walking towards the back wall.

"Don't go too far, Rose," Flint said.

Rose had to climb a bit to make it to the platform that attached to the end of the cove. Sitting there was something that she was truly astonished to see. Along the floor were many colorful tiles arranged in a circle.

"Flint, you gotta see this."

"What is-" Flint was interrupted by his own witness to the mosaic in the floor. "Whoa, I've never seen anything like this."

"You know, Flint, I find it funny how we're amazed by something as simple as this, but not the mountain sized tree with those death fruits we saw back in the cave."

"What?" Nixie asked.

"Nothing, it was just an encounter we had on our way here to Whitestone."

"What is this?" Rose asked.

"A sign of hope," a fourth voice said.

All turned their attention to where they had come from. Statshine was climbing up to the platform they were standing on. The three bowed in respect, but Statshine insisted them not to.

"A sign of hope you say?" Flint repeated. "What do you mean."

"The pokemon depicted in the art, it's the legendary we of the Fourth Light worship. Tell me, Flint, do you know why we call ourselves the Fourth Light?"

"I can't say I do."

"There's three types of lights in this world. The sun is the first. The sun represents bravery and confidence as it shines down on us, sharing its heat with us. The second light comes from the sun's sister, the moon. The moon represents commitment and challenge. It provides just enough light for us to see in the night, tempting us to continue pushing ourselves. The third light are elemental lights. Whenever you cast a fireball, or a pokemon shoots lightning, they generate light. This light represents purpose and reason, reminding us why we exist and what we can do. The Dark Legion is trying to destroy our light as they kill off all purity that exists. That's where the fourth type of light comes from. It's more figurative, this light is the only light that can shine in the darkness. We represent hope and life for every pokemon around us. Our royal guards wear pendants that carry their own light, this is what makes the dark fear us, because we're constantly growing."

Flint could hear the passion in her words, Statshine meant every word she said and she spoke with pure confidence in her voice. Nixie felt a glimmer of hope rising in her chest, she had already lost her colony to the darkness and wanted something to be done about it.

"Who is this legendary though?" Rose asked.

"That's none other than Xerneas. Her majesty devine. She is what can truly end this war, but the darkness will try and kill her. She is the life force of the planet, if she dies, then life no loner exists."

"How could the Dark Legion possibly kill a legendary such as her?" Flint asked.

"I'm speaking figuratively. Anyway, not to interrupt whatever it is you all were originally doing, but I came here seeking you, Flint."

"How'd you know to look here."

"I'm a psychic-type, it was my sixth sense that told me to come here."

"Very well, what is it you need of me?"

"I do apologize for the last minute news, but it's a business trip tomorrow I need you to accompany me on."

"A business trip? Where are we going?"

"We're testing one of our ships for a few days, you need to be there to manage supply of inventory."

"What about Rose? Who's going to take care of her?"

"I'm sure Nixie won't mind watching over her for a couple of days, will you Nixie?"

"I, uh-"

"Splendid! Come now, Flint."

"I thought you said it was tomorrow."

"I did, but you need to pack early."

* * *

It was the next day. Flint felt bitter, slightly irritated at how inconvenient this all was, especially since he had the day off. The Princess promised him he'd be compensated, that didn't seem to interest him too much. Nixie and Rose both seemed sad, Rose the most since Kindle and Tesla had just left as well. It sucked, but sacrifices had to be made at a time of war. Flint was now at the pier with his bag packed. Nixie and Rose both waiting with him.

"Please don't leave, Flint..." Rose said in a depressed tone.

"I don't want to leave, but I have to."

"Why? Why can't you just stay here? Just forget about the ship."

"It's not that simple, they are at war right now, they're doing this for our protection."

"We've never been seperated like this before, I don't know how I'm going to handle you being gone." Rose began shedding a couple tears.

"Everything will be fine, I'll be back in a couple days."

"What if you don't!? What if I never see you again!? Did you ever think about that?"

Flint gave Rose a warm hug while petting the back of her head, she cried into his fur. "I'm really sorry, Rose. I promise I'll be fine. Be good for Nixie. I love you, you're like a daughter you me."

After his hug, Flint went to Nixie. "I'm sorry I'm putting so much responsibility in your hands right now. She's going to be sad these next couple of days, just try your best to take care of her, please."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you, Nixie, it means a lot."

Nixie then embraced Flint in a hug. Like Tesla suggested, she made it feel like more than just a friendly hug. Flint returned the gesture. "Be safe, Flint."

After their goodbye, Flint boarded the ship, along with Statshine and her soldiers. It was one of the most painful feelings Flint had endured. He could only hope everything would be fine. He gave Rose a promise of his return, but ultimately, he wasn't the one making that decision...

* * *

 _ **Finally! An update. Hopefully the length makes up for my absence. Multiple factors delayed this chapter. Ironically, I was having relationship issues around the time I wrote the scene between Kindle and Tesla arguing, a lot of it just bringing back unwanted memories. A couple business trips between October and December. A few other set backs as well.**_

 _ **I was originaly going to end this chapter when Tesla and Kindle left, but since Flint was departing as well, I decided to add it into here. We're now officially in the second arc, which will flow into where the prologue left off.**_

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the holiday season. I would apreciate any feedback you have on the story. Also, hope you all have a happy new years!**_


	14. Chapter 13: Rough Seas

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **Rough Seas**_

Silence filled the room where Nixie and Rose both slept. Both seemed to have trouble sleeping after Flint had left. Nixie was left with the responsibility of talking care of Rose. Honestly, she had no idea what she was doing. Nixie was awake now with a lot on her mind. She was replaying the events in her head of Flint leaving, she was repeating what Tesla had told her, and she was refreshing her memory on lessons Mystic taught her. It all stacked up and stressed her out.

Failing to get any more sleep, Nixie sat up and looked to the other side of her bed. Rose was dead asleep, looking almost lifeless. She was taking it the worst, having never been seperated in such a way from Flint. Nixie couldn't begin to imagine how it felt for her. Rose saw Flint as a father figure, Nixie never grew close to her parents. Nixie was aware of her crush she had on Flint, but still knew the separation between them wasn't as immense as it was to Rose. Flint gave Nixie a large responsibility, and she would see to it that she did whatever she could to the best of her abilities.

'I suppose I could make the two of us a meal before sunrise,' Nixie suggested to herself, heading to her kitchen.

Nixie wasn't the greatest at cooking, she learned second-hand type stuff and used what knowledge she did know to try and make her own recipes. She looked inside her cabinet and grabbed a bowl full of berries, some flour, a couple eggs, butter, and milktank milk. Her plan was to bake some type of pastry with berries substituting for sugar.

Nixie added the flour, milk, butter, and eggs into a stone bowl and mixed it together using a wooden spoon. She waited until the dough was at a perfect consistency. Afterwards, she chopped the berries up and added them into the mix. She proceeded to grab a rectangular, stone mold in which she poured the combined ingredients into. Nixie then realized she had forgotten to ready her stove. It took a few minutes to properly start the fire and wait for it to heat up, but when it did, she slid the mold into the stove and waited.

The sun was getting ready to rise now. Nixie began thinking what all she and Rose could do for the day. Whitestone was the capital city of Mardol and attracted a lot of attention from outsiders, it had plenty of activities to make up for its tourists. Another thing bothering Nixie was that she had to continue her training the next day. She wasn't too sure what to do with Rose while she continued her secret training lessons. She could leave Rose at the castle's daycare, but she recalled Rose not being too thrilled to attend it. She decided she would address the problem when it came up. She also couldn't help but hope Flint was doing fine wherever he was. Statshine was vague with the details, Nixie assumes it was probably considered secret as well.

Nixie's thoughts were interrupted by the pleasant aroma of her mixed berry bread. It was time to extract them from the oven, which she did while wearing oven mitts. She also suffocated the stoves flames a little, so the house wouldn't get too hot. Grabbing a kitchen knife, Nixie removed the bread from its mold and began cutting it into even slices. Admittedly, the result didn't look to appealing, and Nixie questioned herself on actually trying it.

The sweet scent of the pastry seemed to have woken Rose as she started shifting around in bed. Rose was confused for a second as she examined her surroundings, then she remembered she was staying with Nixie. Her ears lowered. She wished that yesterday was just a dream and that Flint hadn't left. Rose fell over on her side, not caring to support herself anymore.

"You're awake, I see," Nixie said, not too sure where her words were going. "How are you feeling?" Rose lazily looked over at Nixie as if the answer was too obvious. "I-I made some food... if you're... hungry or anything..." Rose didn't respond, she just stayed motionless on the bed in her melancholy state of mind. 'This is going to be more challenging than I thought...'

* * *

"You are waiting untill now of all times to address this information before me, when it would have been much more of a convenience had you not given me this information shortly after you had arrived?" Mystic asked in an irritated manner.

Mystic and Aurora were walking together through the castle. Mystic was trying to simply enjoy her tea and read a book while Aurora insisted on bothering her in need of assistance.

"Yes, yes, I know I should have told you sooner, but I just now remembered about it while I was digging through my pack. That's when I found the papers and realized I forgot to tell you about it."

"There are flawed in your idea that you assume I have to be capability of doing, in which you are wrong."

"Like what? I wrote down some of the letters on my parchment, and I have the memory from being there. Can't you just tap into my memories, do your magic mojo, and get the rest of the symbols?"

"That is the flaw I am going to bring up. Yes, pokemon of the psychic typing are _more_ than capable of reading the minds of most pokemon, this entails us to be able to read thoughts, find information stored in mental archives, predict emotion, and read memories. But, the thing about reading memories is that we can only see as much as you remember."

"How does that work?"

Mystic took a deep breath and sighed, preparing herself to explain. "Memories are as clear as you wish to make them out to be. You come here with this specific memory lingering within your head, yet you lack a lot of the details from this memory. As time passed, the memory becomes diluted, losing bits and pieces to the ebb and flow in the ocean of time. Eventually leaving all you currently are capable of remembering being all that is left of said memory, so if I were to inspect the memory at this point in time, I would only be able to see the parts of the memory that clearly stick out in your head." Mystic took a quick moment to sip her tea. "There is still more to it than that, though. The brain does store some of the memory that you no longer remember, you just don't know how to access those chambers of your brain, I'm not calling you inept, you just lack the capability of doing so. I could try finding the hidden archive in your brain, but I risk the fact that the brain also has a tenancy to make things up, some times making you think something happened in the past that in actuality never truly occurred; not only that, but I could also dig up very personal information about yourself that you would not want me knowing."

After saying that last part, Mystic felt slightly guilty since she had done that exact thing to Nixie, now knowing everything about her. Although feeling guilty, she was also intrigued about something in particular about her findings. It was a tree that appeared numerous times in Nixie's memories. The specifics were still unknown, but it seemed highly important to her tribe.

Aurora had to take a moment to absorb the new information, trying to properly understand it. "Okay, I'd prefer to keep my mental sanctuary away from others. So we can scratch that idea. Now, I still do have the parchment which I wrote down a couple of the letters I found on one of the pillars in a room we were in. Maybe you could read them, seeings as I haven't a clue what they mean, and you could decode them for me?"

Mystic took another sip from her tea and closed her book. "Fine, let us make this quick."

Aurora quickly pulled the parchment from her pack and presented it to Mystic. Mystic cringed upon seeing Aurora's sloppy hand writing, but nonetheless was able to read it. After analyzing the first letter, she instantly recognized that the symbols belonged to the western variation of the Avarian language. The letter was a c-shape with a dot in its center, known as eka; this letter made the short e sound. Next to that was a letter that looked similar to the letter u, but had two parallel curved lines intersecting its right side. This was bruu, the letter which made either the b, p, or t sounds; the sound was random and the rules for this letter and a few others were nearly nonexistent. The third letter was an arch that curved upward, a vertical line coming from its center which had a perpendicular line intersecting through it. This was zaru, a letter making either the s or the z sound. The fourth letter was simply shaped like a triangle, known as oka and making the o sound. The final letter was a slight arch going downward which had a line intersecting through its center, a dot was found on both sides of the line inside the arch. This was raka, which made the r sound.

Mystic studied the letters a little more before deciding what it said. "Epsor."

"What does that mean."

"Nothing."

"Don't be like that, Mystic."

"No, it literally translates to the word nothing."

"Oh... What do we do with that then?"

"That, I cannot help you with, for this mystery is yours to solve. If you would like a suggestion from me, I would consider going back to the cave and have one of our linguists translate the letters for you."

"Why can't you come with me?"

"Think for a bit. The Princess left the vicinity of Whitestone yesterday. As per usual, I have been left with the temporary authority to govern the city to keep our citizens at bay."

"Fine, I'll go find someone else then, I'll see you around." Mystic lazily waved her off, enjoying her tea and book. Aurora then went her own seperate way.

* * *

'You truly are an asshole, you know that?' Tesla thought to himself while staring out at the sea. 'You completely shattered an already fragile heart and continued to drag her along with you. Yeah, it's not like this is my first time, but still, I've actually had time to know Kindle longer then the others.' Tesla decided to finish his alcoholic beverage to try and wash away his thoughts.

They had been sailing for over a day now, heading north to the forgotten islands. Their trip was expected to be roughly two weeks tops. To Tesla's dismay, there wasn't too much to do on the trip. Some pokemon had chess boards set up, there were a few pokemon gambling, but the one thing that did seem to catch most passengers' interest were the sparing sessions. This especially caught Tesla's attention, he had been itching to battle for quite some time.

Tesla headed over to a table to sign up. Apparently there was a tournament going on that was supposed to last a good portion of the ship's voyage. There were thirty-two slots in total, only half of the contenders would move on. The dates for all five of the battles had been determined as well, the first being the next day. Tesla had signed up just in time, only three slots remained on the roster.

'This should hopefully prevent me from dying from boredom. Haven't really fought anyone since we ran into that weavile. I wouldn't call it a fare fight though, he used some cheap tricks to give himself an upper hand in that battle. This though, this seems completely skill based. I better rest well tonight, don't want to be sloppy.'

Tesla continued the rest of the routine for his day; he enjoyed a quick meal, gazed out into the ocean, and then decided to go rest. The sleeping arrangements on the ship were a couple decks down in a spacious room that housed hammocks built around the frame of the ship. It was nothing fancy, but it provided a basic necessity for passengers.

The dawn of a new day then started. Tesla wasn't exactly too sure when the sparring tournament was going to begin, but he also didn't want to be late to his match. Tesla hopped out of his hammock before resizing he had forgotten to grab an item for his battle. It was a complete mystery who or what he was going to fight, but it never hurt you be prepared for a battle. Tesla dug around a bit and found the item he was looking for. It was a necklace, attached to the necklace was a stone radiating a soft, pink light. It was an eviolite: a strange stone that would helped boost Tesla's defensive capacities since he hadn't evolved yet. Tesla equipped his necklace, the stone hiding itself within his wool, and he then headed up top.

It seemed the pokemon were still setting up for the event. A lot of the crew was moving cargo around to clear up a suitable battling environment while others used thick ropes to determine the area they would be battling inside of. Tesla was slightly distracted by the commotion, totally spaced out.

"Pardon me," a female hoothoot said, slightly startling Tesla out of his trance. "Are you by chance Tesla, the mareep?"

"Yes I am, why do you ask?"

"I'm helping coordinate the tournament. I was coming to inform you who you'll be battling in the first round." She then looked around until she spotted his contestant. "Over there, the sawsbuck. You and him will be battling the third round today."

After Tesla acknowledge her, the hoothoot flew off to find other contenders. Tesla then began studying his opponent. It was a sawsbuck, currently in its spring form, but was more than halfway developed through its summer form. Sawsbuck were a quick way to tell which season it was. Currently, it was spring and very near to summer.

Tesla understood that his opponent had a slight upper hand this battle, since grass was resistant to electric. He also never liked fighting normal-type pokemon since they had mixed moves they could learn, easily catching him off guard when they unexpectedly start using fire, ice, or water moves. Tesla also had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, some that even Kindle was completely unaware of.

Tesla patiently waited while watching some of the other contenders. In the first round, he watched as a linoone was vigorously beat up by a blitzle's flame charge. In the second round he watched as a frostlass nearly gave a poliwhirl severe frostbite. Tesla would feel slight pity for the froslass in her next match, but this wasn't a normal bracket tournament. It was made clear that each match were random pairings.

It was now Tesla's turn to battle. He and the sawsbuck both stood at opposite ends of the field, both eager to fight. Tesla zoned out every noise he could think of. The crowd, the wind, the ocean, everything. All he could hear was his heartbeat slowly rising and the hum of electricity circuiting through his blood.

"Begin!" Yelled the tyrogue coach.

Tesla took the initiative in attacking first. He conjured lightning from his body and sent it straight towards his foe. With sharp hisses, his electricity whipped around through the air and made contact with his target. It wasn't too effective, but it definitely stung the sawsbuck. The deer gritted its teeth while producing its own energy. He then threw a ball with a green aura directly at Tesla's face. Tesla couldn't react fast enough and instead took the full power of the energy ball. He skidded back a bit, but kept his ground.

The sawsbuck decided to charge Tesla and not give him time to breathe. After getting Tesla cornered, the deer then jumped up high and prepared to use its hooves to land on Tesla. Tesla reacted by shielding his face and using a cotton guard. His wool began growing and thickening. Once the sawsbuck landed, he found himself stuck inside Tesla's thick mass of wool. Tesla grinned as his plan was coming along nicely. Tesla proceeded to discharge electricity out of his body and into the sawsbuck.

He noticed the deer physically stiffen his composure. Tesla used this to his advantage as he began building up a large amount of electricity in the orb of his tail. He uppercut the deer and sent it flying backwards. It landed on the ground. Tesla jumped towards him and swing his tail around smashing the electric orb right between the deer's eyes, causing his body to instantly go limp. The crowd began cheering making Tesla wear a prideful smile. He nonchalantly walked away from the sawsbuck and pretended to brush off dust from his shoulders as if the battle wasn't all that hard to him.

'I was expecting a little more out of the big fella. Oh well, it still feels great to battle again. Hopefully my next opponent can put up more of a match.'

* * *

Flint had now been traveling for a little over a day and he still hadn't accepted the fact that he was surrounded by a vast ocean home to fathomless depths. He was constantly fearing accidentally falling into the water and being swallowed by the merciless waves. The lingering thought constantly sent a chill down his spine.

Statshine laughed to herself, amused by the frightened growlithe. "What are you so worried about?"

"That water, is it not that obvious?"

"Yeah, water is one of your weaknesses, but regular water has no effect on you, only pokemon with open flames."

"I don't care. I have no idea what's lurking beneath its surface, and I have no intentions on finding out what's down there _and_ becoming its dinner."

"You worry too much. You're perfectly fine while you're aboard this ship. Now, I have a few tasks I need you to attend to, I'll need you to follow me to my office."

As the two were walking, Flint continued observing the ship. It was a lot bigger than most ships he had seen. Apparently the hull of the ship was also made of a wood called oakstone. It was a lot more durable and fire retardant, both of which made Flint feel slightly safer on the ship. His attention was then directed to the fact that he was at Statshine's office. Once inside, he noticed how much more quieter it was inside her cabin than it was outside. In the room was an elegant desk with miscellaneous paperwork and maps, a pink cushion that was fairly bigger than Statshine sat in a corner, and there was also a strange contraption in the room that Flint was completely unaware what it's purpose was. The walls of the room were maroon with golden designs on them, in the back was a tainted window that overlooked the ocean.

"Take a seat," Statshine said. She pulled a chair out for Flint telekinetically. She then sat on the other side. "All of this paperwork is our current trade shares with one of our allies up in the north. They've reported suspicious behavior in these waters which has caused a delay in their trades. Currently, this is a test ship, we're out here for two reasons. One is to test the ship's capabilities while the other is to scout out the water for a couple of days."

Flint felt a chill encase his heart. "Y-you mean we might actuay run into a hostile ship?"

"We don't expect it to happen, but if it were to come up, this ship is more than able to fight off any pirate or war ship."

"I thought this was a test ship though. How do you know it can defend it self? Why aren't we traveling with supportive ships too?"

Statshine put a paw up to silence Flint. "Yes, this is a test ship, but this thing is armed to the teeth. All personnel on this ship are highly trained in combat. Needless to say, if anything were to happen we're more than safe." Statshine paused and looked at Flint with a different facial expression than before. "Are you feeling okay?"

Flint was confused by the question. "...Yes? You've asked me me this question before, in the same tone of voice too. Why do you sound so worried?"

"This will be a bit hard for you to understand since you aren't a psychic type, but I'll explain to the best of my ability. Your brain is responsible for everything you do. Every thought you have, every breath you take, every pain you feel; it all comes from your brain," she said, tapping her head with her paw. "Your brain controls things voluntarily and involuntarily. It does this by sending signals throughout the body. Sometimes the brain also sends passive signals which happen to radiate rather than be sent directly to specific locations. Most psychic-types' brains are receiving ends to these type of signals, I'm no exception. Just now, I received one of these signals. I felt a lot of negativity. This wasn't any type of negativity, it was harsh and had a dark undertone to it."

"What are you implying?"

Statshine just let out a sigh. "Just know, that if anything is ever bothering you, you can always come talk to me. It's not good to let these kind of emotions bottle up, they'll only hurt you more in the long run." There was a bit of a silence between the two after that. "Anyway, I forgot to mention what your job is while we're out here. I need you to keep records of the flow of our supplies on the ship. You'll need to find out how much of each supply we have, record how much of it is used daily. Create a statistic chart that can make up for outliers in the days to come. With these statistics, we'll be able to send this ship out while supplying it the most affordable way possible."

"That's the main goal? Cost efficiency."

"War has always been about cost efficiency. This is why Mardol is more of a superior fighting force. This is also why you play an important role as my assistant. You're creating statistics which I then use to cut spending in some areas and apply it to more demanding areas. For instance, with your help, we started realizing that we've been paying too much for stone. We used to buy seven-hundred units of stone monthly, each unit costing thirty-five pentra. Something we realized is that construction has dropped about twenty percent the last couple years. This meant that we could buy less units of stone, which we now buy five-hundred units monthly, saving us seven- thousand pentra monthly. We used seventy percent to improve on military spending, ten percent went into the community, and the last twenty went into the castle's treasure for further usage in the future. The reasons the Jagorii and the Dark Legion aren't as successful as us is because they use most of their spending on the benefits of only their troops while the normal citizens live terrible lives."

"Isn't that counterproductive though? Leading a country without providing for the population?"

"That's the point. Tenebris, the leader of the Dark Legion, flaunts his troops. He shows how well off they are under his reign while the lesser fortunate pokemon suffer in their horrible living conditions. That leaves most residents to one of three options: they either join among his ranks so they too can have nourishment, _attempt_ fleeing Zerith, or, in worse cases, they kill themselves from the stress and fear. The rest somehow manage to survive by living off of what they have, making every little thing count."

"Why don't the pokemon of Zerith rebel? If there's so many pokemon upset with his rule, what's exactly stopping them from standing up for themselves."

"Tenebris's troops outnumber and overpower those who aren't part of the Dark Legion. He's slowly been expanding though, taking more land within Zerith and providing less and less shelter for the residents. He's become greedy and scares other small civilizations by invading others. You know, Nixie is one of those victims."

"Is she really?" Flint seemed shocked. "What happened."

"Psyche - Mystic's husband - saved her, from what I understand. Nixie was part of a buizel colony that was attacked by Tenebris. She's the only found survivor so far."

Flint didn't really know how to respond, he was confused from other information he was told. "But Nixie told me that she ran away from home, to flee from the dangers of Zerith."

Statshine thought of her next words carefully, realizing she probably provided Flint with information he wasn't intended to know. "She necessarily didn't lie to you, she provided the half truth. I should apologize, as it wasn't my place to tell you that information. It seems like she either doesn't want you to know the full truth or maybe she isn't ready to tell anyone, but regardless, don't bring it up with her."

Flint nodded his head understanding. His mind now circling with many questions and slight worry. 'I wonder why she didn't tell me this. Then again, I can't blame her, I'm trying to hide from my past too. But this also worries me. What if Tenebris is aware that Nixie escaped? What if he tries finishing the job?'

Before Flint could ponder on the idea anymore, a panicked series of knocks banged on the door. Statshine used her telekinesis to open said door. On the other side was a flechinder who was struggling to catch his breath. Flint wondered how the bird even knocked on the door, but assumed it used its beak.

"P-Princess, the other scouts and I spotted two ships to the west."

Statshine instantly jumped out of her chair and onto her table. "How far out are they?"

"A little over ten nautical miles, your highness."

"Tell the rest of the crew that we're entering battle stations. Flint, follow me."

Flint did as he was instructed, but he couldn't quite steady his breathing nor control the shaking in each of his steps. The flechinder had spread the word pretty fast, the ship was already in motion with pokemon operating cannons and filling them with ammunition. Flint had followed Statshine all the way to the nose end of the ship. Statshine closed her eyes and began concentrating, in a matter of seconds, pink particles begs swirling around her and formed an orb.

"What is that thing?" Flint asked, curiously observing the forming ball of mass.

"It's a divination spell. This is a magical eye that'll see at further lengths than the average eye."

Flint was still confused, but decided to just go with it. While Statshine's eyes were shut, she was now able to see through the magical eye she had created. Looking over to the west, she did in fact see two ships. Not only was it the size of the ships that made her a bit unnerved, but also the flags it boasted. The flags were blood red color and in its center was a white mamoswine skull. The eye then dissapeared since Statshine had opened her eyes. All confidence she previously had seemed to have been destroyed. Her unease wasn't unnoticed by Flint.

"Princess, is everything alright?"

"... no, we're in serious trouble... those are Jagorii ships." Statshine turned around to the rest of the crew, she couldn't show fear at a time like this. "Listen up! There's been a large turn of events. Right now, we are heading right towards not one, but two Jagorii ships." The crowd of pokemon began chattering amongst each other. "It's been a few years since we've had a run in with the Jagorii, but that shouldn't mean anything. We will show these barbaric bastards that the Fourth Light is not a force to be reckoned with! We won't let these measly ships stand in our way! We shall strike or enemies at the neck and win this battle! Show no mercy!"

The crowd of pokemon were now cheering, they all seemed eager to battle as they all went to their respective battle station. Flint stood by Statshine's side, not entirely sure what he was to do. He felt very queasy and a large thorn of fear had pierced his body. He watched as both of the ships began growing closer and closer. The world around Flint began to silence itself.

Out of nowhere, one of the ships shot its forward facing canon. Out of it were two cannon balls attached together by a chain. Statshine's eyes widened. Not having much time to think, she pointed her gem towards the cannon balls. A handful of red dots shot out of the gem and hovered in the air. Shortly after, pink matter formed in straight lines between the dots, making a flat geometric pattern in the sky. Lastly, a darker, pink matter filled in the spaces. The two cannon balls smashed directly into Statshine's projected force field. Their motion stopped immediately, and the cannon balls feel into the ocean.

The attack began soon after. Statshine ordered for their forward facing cannons to be shot. The ship's forward cannons were a four barrel revolving type, they could be fired while the other three were being loaded. These types had a smaller diameter, but provided a greater firing rate and range, making them more versatile than standard cannons. A small rain of cannon balls began shattering the wooden hull of one of the Jagorii ships, but it was going to take a lot more fire power.

The three ships were now in closer range with each other. On the Mardol ship, two magmortar ran to the front of the ship and loaded canon balls into their hands, which they then used as cannons. The balls they shot were glowing bright orange and had a trail of fire following behind them. They collided with the same ship they attacked earlier. The flaming cannon balls then started a few small fires on the enemy ship.

Statshine noticed that one of the two ships had been weakened. She used her psychic powers to force the ship into a hard left turn, the starboard side of the ship facing the damaged Jagorii ship. Statshine then gave the order to fire. A wall of metal accelerating at an incredibly high speed ripped its way through the enemy ship, taking some of the crew with it. What they hadn't noticed until just now was the second ship getting into a position to fire on the Mardol ship.

The nose of the ship was aimed right at the port side of the Jagorii ship. The crew all braced themselves. Within seconds, a storm of cannon balls struck the Mardol ship. Flint went into complete shock as he saw a cannon ball desecrate only the top half of a nearby magmortar. He had never feared more for his life than it this moment. Just when they thought the barrage was over, the previous ship that had been injured had rammed itself into the starboard side of the ship. The fire slowly started spreading, thankfully the fire retardant wood slowed down the processes. The mast of the Jagorii ship had a saw-like pattern underneath it, locking it in place.

"Keep these bastards distracted!" Statshine ordered. Her crew now prepared to defend the ship with their lives. "Flint, are you any good at fighting."

Flint had to think about it for a second, but was embarrassed to admit that he never recieved proper training. "No, I'm quite sloppy"

Statshine struggled to think for a second. "Um... uh... what's the strongest ranged fire attack you know?"

"I know flame burst."

"That'll have to do. I'll make an opening in the Jagorii ship, once I do so, you'll have to attack it with your flame burst."

Statshine knelt downward, aiming her ruby gem at the side of the Jagorii ship. A large, pink ball began forming at the tip. Once she was satisfied, she hurled the gleaming ball of energy into the ship. The wooden hull imploded into the ship, leaving a large opening. Flint instantly caught on to Statshine's plan as he saw gun powder barrels. He then shot a large ball of fire into the hole. Next thing they knew, the interior of the ship exploded in a big ball of fire. Smoke blanketing out of the sides and over the top. A handful of lifeless bodies were ejected from the ship while others slowly burned or suffocated from the carbon dioxide in the smoke. The Mardol ship only took a fraction of the damage from the explosion.

Flint felt a chasm build up in his stomach as he gazed at the dead and dying pokemon. It was a simple thought that failed to enter his mind just before shooting his flame burst. He had just killed a large majority of the crew. It didn't make him feel any better knowing it only took one shot to cause this much damage. It made him feel sick and he began trembling.

* * *

Flint and Adara were walking side by side, Adara slightly leaning against Flint. It was now nighttime, just barely after the sun had set. Adara couldn't feel any happier after being saved and satisfied by Flint.

"Thank you so much, Flint," Adara said.

"How many times are you going to say that?" Flint chuckled.

"Hmm. A lot." Adara chuckled too and nuzzled into Flint's neck. "I seriously don't think I could thank you enough for saving me from that zangoose... and also... you know... satisfying my needs earlier."

"Uh, about that..." Flint said while blushing, "for a first time... how was it?"

"It was perfect, Flint. What are you so worried about?"

"I mean, I don't know if I was doing it right or if I could of done better, not to mention I'm not as 'gifted' as some of the other growlithe back at the tribe."

"Flint, trust me, everything was amazing about you. And you shouldn't worry about not being able to compare with the other growlithe, all that matters is that I loved it and I love you."

Flint couldn't help but smile back at Adara, but then another thought invaded his mind. "There's... something else that's been bothering me..."

"Talk to me about it."

"It's just..." Flint stopped walking and he looked directly in Adara's eyes. "I-I killed him... I took his life..."

"Flint, you did what you had to do. If you didn't kill him, he probably would have forced his way onto me. Don't be upset for doing the right thing."

"It's not just that. I didn't have to kill him. I could have just scared him off. Given him a warning. I-I shouldn't have _killed_ him... his blood has stained my tongue... his eyes begged for mercy, and I showed none. It didn't feel right, it doesn't rest well in my stomach... there had to be _something_ I could've done other than killing him. I...I-I." Flint was at a loss of words now knowing what to say or how to feel. Adara tried reassuring him that what he had done was just and natural, but Flint's paranoia zoned her out.

* * *

Flint's train of thought was interrupted as the other Jagorii ship rammed into the opposite side of the Mardol ship. Statshine was going to attempt the same thing as before, but the other pokemon began boarding their ship. Flint watched the chaos unfold. The other magmortar bathed an enemy ferrothon with smouldering flames. An excadril caught him by surprise and jabbed its blade through the magmortar's chest.

An enemy carracosta prepared to attack a prinplup who had its back turned. Statshine generated a pink ball around the sea turtle's hand and violently twisted the ball in a complete circle. An audible snapping of bones was heard and the carracosta yelled in pain. This caught the prinplup's attention. It created a veil of water around its flipper and sliced the carracosta's throat open.

The barrage continued for a few more minutes while Flint just stared in shock, somehow not being targeted by anyone else. Emerging from the Jagorii ship was a weezing. As it boarded the Mardol ship, it sprayed a thick cloud from its orifices, blinding everyone on the ship. Flint began to panic as he was blinded, and the mysterious fumes started clogging his lungs.

He coughed violently and his vision was very fuzzy, he could barely make out his paws. He still heard the sound of other pokemon yelling in agony and others choking on their own blood. He then felt his nose bump into something solid. Conveniently, the smoke started clearing up at the same time. Once he finally was able to see what he had bumped into, a chill froze every part of his body.

Standing in front of him was a mienshao pointing an odd looking object directly at Flint's face. The mienshao gave a smug grin seeing the fear that washed over his body. Statshine was about to intervene, but the mienshao withdrew another one of the objects and pointed it at her. Statshine's uncertainty of the object caused her to hesitate.

"You look confused, Princess," the female mienshao stated. "Looks like you've never seen a hand cannon before."

"A hand cannon?" Statshine said, confirming the mienshao's acquisition.

"Just as I figured. The hand cannon is only the latest invention by the Jagorii. We took the ingenious design of a cannon and thought of a way to make it more mobile and easy to use. These little devils have given us the upper hand in a couple recent battles we had. So far their only problem is their abysmal range and the fact they only shoot one ball at a time. Now that that's out of the way, I'll propose a small offer: order your men to stand down and we'll take you all peacefully, or continue this nonsense and I'll paint the deck with both of your brains. What's it gonna be?"

Flint casted a worried look towards Statshine. Statshine was observing everything around her. She could use a quick psychic ability to kill the mienshao, but she wasn't sure if it would have the reflexes quick enough to shoot one of her hand cannons. Even if she did kill the mienshao, they were heavily outnumbered with more and more of her troops dying. She mentally scolded herself, she was left with only one option of which she didn't like.

"Everyone, stand down!" Starshine yelled to her troops.

They all hesitated, but obeyed. The mienshao had her troops cease their attacks as well. Remaining from Starshine's crew was Flint, a joltick, a sandslash, a pancham, the flechinder from earlier and herself.

"Smart moved, Princess. We'll be keeping you all in our ship's cell for now. It's about a three day trip back to Jagorii."

"Wait a minute," a voice broke from the crowd of pokemon, "I know you." A scizor came flying from the group and latched its claw around Flint's throat.

"I said stand down, Razor," the mienshao said.

"All do respect, captain, but I have a personal grudge against this growlithe."

"I don't even know who you are," Flint struggled to say, the scizor's claws hindering his ability to speak.

Razor scoffed. "Conveniently, right? Maybe you'll remember after a rip your fucking arm off, huh?" Razor then clamped his other claw around Flint's arm. "After all, you took mine away."

Flint's eyes went wide as soon as he remembered just who the scizor was now. "You're- you're that scyther we ran into on our way to Whitestone."

"You bet your ass I am."

"So this is the one responsible for taking your arm?" The mienshao asked, receiving a nod of confirmation from Razor. "Then I'll allow you to settle this personal grudge you have."

Razor gave a crooked grin and prepared to pinch down on Flint's throat. However, Starshine intervened just at the right time.

"You can't, Flint is a direct assistant of mine, therefore making him a royal figure of sorts."

"What are you getting at?" Asked the mienshao.

"Well, you've already made it clear that you're taking us to your homeland, yes? There would be only one reason you'd need me alive, and that's to have a face to face meeting with your emperor. The Jagorii law states that during such a royal affair offers a stand down between both the Jagorii royal representatives as well as the other homeland's royal representatives. In this case, Flint and I are both royal representatives, as are you. For the occasion, there is to be no harm between both sides until a resolution in the meeting has been finalized. Therefore, your scizor is not to harm Flint in any way, shape, or form."

The mienshao glared at Starshine. "How the hell do you know about our laws?"

"My father."

The mienshao had a moment of realization before withdrawing her hand cannons. "Figures. Razor, put the growlithe down."

"But captain-"

"That is a lawful order."

"That's bullshit, you're going to defend this runt over some documentation? These laws are what _weaken_ us-"

The mienshao them pointed a hand cannon at the scizor. "It was _us_ who helped you in your time of need. It was _us_ who helped you evolve and gave you that new arm. Do you really want to questions those that provide you such things?" The scizor kept quiet and let go of Flint. Flint coughed a bit after he was released. "Alright, everyone, beck to the ship. Escort or _guests_ to their new living area."

As the last five pokemon of the Mardol ship boarded the Jagorii ship, the flechinder made an attempt to escape. It quickly darted into the sky and soared high. The mienshao withdrew her gun and tried following its unpredictable path. Once she thought she had a good shot, she pulled the trigger. A loud bang sounded off, startling nearly everyone. Ultimately, the bullet missed. The mienshao cursed to herself and began reloading her hand cannon, Starshine observed how tedious the process was.

Starshine was glad she was the only psychic type around. Little did the mienshao know, she mentally gave instructions to the flechinder and guaranteed protecting him. Everyone was oblivious to the fact that she conjured a gust of wind in the air that made the bullet miss its target. Starshine may have outsmarted her enemy for now, but her next obstacle was something she wouldn't be prepared for.

* * *

 **And that concludes this chapter. Chapter 14 is also finished, I just need to proof read it and change some things. Expect that to be uploaded tomorrow or the following day.**

 **I have some important news, but I'll discuss it after the next chapter.**

 **Also, I have two polls on my profile right now. One is in regards to this story while the other involves other stories I'm working on. I put a sneak peek for two upcoming stories on my profile. If you have the time, I'd apreciate if you read them and gave feedback via the poll on which you'd be more interested in reading. (The sneak peeks can be found right under the "planned story" section).**


	15. Chapter 14: Making Friends

_**Charter 14**_

 _ **Making Friends**_

Xandora came crashing down into the rough, rocky ground. Minor burn marks were found along various parts of his body. He was gnashing his teeth in pain as his claws slowly racked into the rocks. Tenebris approached the zoroark while Frostbite stood back, frozen in fear from what he witnessed.

"That was beyond foolish," Tenebris said. "You don't think I've planned this out? You don't think I already had in mind you would try your transmutation abilities to try escaping me? Let that attack be your first and only warning. If you as much breathe out of line, I'll end you in a matter of seconds. Hell, I might even be a little convinced to see how Zorzo's body reacts to it too."

"Don't lay a fucking paw on my son, you demon," Xandora struggled to say through his gritted teeth.

"Then co-operate and everything will be fine. Now, we're almost at the shore. You'll be turning into a water based pokemon to transport us to the north eastern parts of Mardol. According to Frostbite, those are the least secure areas in Mardol as they focus too much around defending Whitestone. Nevertheless, it should be a few more weeks until we finally arrive at the destination."

* * *

It was business as usual back in Whitestone. Nixie had to continue her training with Mystic. It took some time, but she eventually was able to get Rose to get up and leave the house. Rose was currently in the daycare while Nixie was learning another lesson.

"Alright, Nixie, you are now quite familiar with your psychic ability by now, just struggling to actually use it. Something you will need to learn are the schools of magic, are you familiar with them?" Nixie shook her head. "Well, it is not all that complicated, the schools consist of abjuration, conjuration, divination, illusion, transmutation, and the two forbidden schools: necromancy and black magic."

It all sounded like a foreign language to Nixie. "I'm not so sure I follow."

"That is quite alright, as magic can be a bit confusing upon the first glance. The most basic school is conjuration, almost every pokemon is a natural conjurer at heart. Conjuration is the art of making something from nothing. For instance, you conjure water from within your body. Your body could not possibly contain that much waster, so instead, your body has naturally allowed itself to conjure the water from thin air. Your neighbor, Flint, conjures flames from his body. There are three requirements for fire: heat, fuel, and air. All liquids inside a fire type are flammable, that would be their fuel. The air is pretty obvious. Fire types are radiate heat naturally. What Flint, and other fire types alike, does is construct the chemical resection of combining the three components to create the fire."

"What exactly does this have to do with my training?"

"Simple, you will gradually learn bits and pieces found within the teachings of the other schools of magic. First, I will be teaching you lessons of abjuration. It is easily one of the more beneficial schools of learning. In this school, you learn about abilities focused on blocking, banishing, and protecting. The move you shall be learning is protect, this allows you to create an impenetrable barrier. The only downside is being able to do it every so often."

"Where do I start."

"You have already began learning the basics for the move. When you were moving that ball of water a couple days ago, you had created a barrier around it. This one was not impenetrable, but it was invisible. If you can focus on making your barrier stronger while keeping it invisible, you shall have an upper hand at defending yourself, if such the occasion were to arise. For starters, let us practice on the size of your barrier."

Nixie and Mystic's session went on for a couple hours. By the end of it, Nixie had began creating larger barriers, but they still weren't impenetrable, they also slowly became more visible as their size increased. Mystic made it clear that their meetings had to be shorter now since she was currently filling in for Starshine's spot. Nixie was then excused from her training for the day.

After picking up Rose, the two of them walked back to Nixie's home. The walk was awfully silent, Rose had still been feeling down about Flint's departure. The sun was almost fully set by the time the reached the him. Once inside, it was still the usual silent barrier between the two. To Nixie's surprise, Rose had been the one to break the silence.

"... do you know when he's going to be back?"

"I wish I did, they weren't too specific on the days. I'm sure it won't be too long."

"But I miss him so much, he's the only one who takes care of me. Now he left me behind..."

Nixie had to think of the best words to help comfort Rose. "I'm sure it's tough, Rose. I kinda went through something similar when I was a little younger than you." Rose seemed slightly interested to hear what she had to say. "You see, my parents were my care takers, but..." realizing her next choice of words, Nixie bended the truth a little, "my tribe didn't approve of certain things... so my parents decided to no longer take care of me. I had no idea how to deal with it at the time, I was lost and confused."

"What hapened? Why couldn't your parents look after you anymore? What were they doing that your tribe didn't like."

"They, uhh... it's kinda hard to explain, you're a little young to know."

"Hey, I'm not _that_ young." Nixie casted a somewhat doubtful glance. "I mean, well..." Rose was a bit lost as something else popped in her head that distracted her from her previous questions. "Nixie."

"Hm?"

"Do you..." She looked around nervously, "bleed?"

"Yeah, every living pokemon bleeds-"

"No, I mean... a special type of bleeding."

Nixie then understood what Rose meant and was already finding the conversation a little uncomfortable. "W-where did that come from."

Rose nervously tapped her paws together. "Well, you're a girl, I'm a girl, Flint's not a girl. Flint and Kindle told me a little bit about it when I had bleed for the first time not too ling ago. I was kinda curious if you bled like that too and if you could give any advice."

This was definitely not a conversation Nixie had been expecting. It wasn't necessarily a topic she would ever expect to talk about either. "Well... yes, I do. There isn't much advice I could give you, I hardly know too much about it myself."

"Why does it have to hurt so much? I don't even understand why we _have_ to bleed."

"I honestly don't know, our creators probably just wanted females to suffer. On the bright side, both of our species only have to deal with it annually, unlike some creatures that have it monthly."

"Arceus, I can't even begin to imagine how annoying that'd be." There was a bit of a pause before she continued. "Hey Nixie, mind if I... ask you something a little more... personal?"

Nixie was curious to what else Rose could possibly have on her mind, but then again, she already fond this conversation quite peculiar. However, this was the most Nixie had ever talked with the eevee, she wanted to do anything she could to keep Rose's mind temporarily from thinking about Flint. "Sure, go ahead."

Rose hesitated a bit and also looked around nervously, not quite so sure if she wanted to follow through. "I..." she trailed off in mumbles. "Uh, nevermind."

"Rose, it's fine, you can talk to me about anything you'd like, you know."

"I understand that, but _this._.. I don't even know how to ask this without it... being weird."

"Well, you've already asked about my cycles, so it can't be too bad."

"I guess you're right..." Rose then leaned a little closer and lowered her voice a bit, as if others were listening. "Have you ever... had sex?" It was like a pen had dropped. It was entirely silent after that specific question. Rose had a very embarrassed look on her face. "I-I told you it would be weird..."

"I...I wasn't really expecting that."

"Let's just forget I asked anything, o-okay?"

"It's fine, Rose. I get that you're becoming curious about these things, I was too at one point, but... what made you ask that?"

"Well...I was told that females bleed when their able to produce children. I already know the basics that a male and a female need to mate to make a child. I kind of... lie around Flint. I act like I'm not interested in having a mate, but in reality, I'm curious to what it's like. I want to KNOW what sex is like."

"I see. I don't have any experience to share. Like I said the other day, I never really found a mate. I understand your curiosity a little more, but you shouldn't rush to find the answers to this type of curiosity. You just need to be patient and eventually you will probably find a mate."

"I understand that," Rose said, lowering her ears. "I just want to know more. I accidentally did something near the end of my cycle. I was restless because I felt that burning felling inside myself. I tried maneuvering myself around, but a sheet ended up rubbing along my... area. It all felt so foreign. Not in a bad way, but rather, enjoyable. I don't know how to describe it."

"Pleasure? I think that's what it is. I'd advise not giving into your desires. Your brain and your actions are two different things. Don't let one overpower the other, just overcome what your brain is wanting."

"Why though? Why should I resist something that feels good for me?"

"I..." Nixie thought for a bit, "it's hard to explain. Like I said, don't rush to understand this better. Just take your time and wait for a mate."

"I guess... thanks for listening to me. I don't think I could have this conversation with Flint. I wanted to talk to Kindle, but she was never around much when she was here in Whitestone. I feel slightly comfortable talking to you, though."

There wasn't much more to the conversation after that, much to Nixie's relief. She had learned a lot more about Rose than she would have hoped to, she even learned that Rose was hiding a bit of a secret from Flint. Something both of them had in common.

There wasn't much left for the two to do. Nixie and Rose had a light meal before they fell asleep. The next day was just like any other. The sun shone brightly in the sky, the flying types chirped, and the streets were busy with pokemon. As usual, Nixie had to continue her training with Mystic while Rose went to the daycare.

Nixie had seen how much Rose disliked the daycare ever since her first day there. She couldn't help but admit that Flint kept a bit of a leash on Rose. She wasn't able to stay alone anywhere, she never had a say in anything, and Flint barely seemed to let her make her own decisions.

Mystic had still been emphasizing Nixie to practice training her barrier. The main problem Nixie struggled with was making it impenetrable. Mystic was constantly able to shatter the barrier with a psychic attack. It seemed the only real progress was the size of the barrier.

"Hmm," Mystic thought, "I may have an idea you could put to use."

"I'm all ears."

"So, the problem you consistently struggle with is the fact that your barrier is destructible. This would only be good to either defend yourself against one attack, or at least negate some of its effects. The size of the barrier is determined on your creative abilities, the more creative your thoughts are, the bigger the area will be. The strength of your barrier is a different story. That is determined by your mind drawing a blank or some other rare scenario."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Simple, really. You know that feeling you get when you try remembering something but you just can not quite remember it for some unknown reason? That same effect can help produce an even more powerful barrier. Let us give it a try. I want you to create a barrier right after I ask you a question, try answering the question as well."

"Alright, it's worth a shot. Ready when you are."

Mystic took a moment to think of a question. "Alright, let met see..." She then lifted a blunt object that Nixie was unaware of. "What color was the ball I first threw to you during your first training session?" Mystic then suddenly launched the object towards Nixie.

Nixie didn't have much time to react, but in her fear of being hit by something, she quickly created a barrier while blurting out her answer. "Blue?" A clear wall formed in front of Nixie. The object came into full canter with it and bounced off.

"There you go, even though your answer was wrong, you still managed to build the barrier. The reason I hurled that object at you was for you to develop the instinct of creating one on a moments notice. Sometimes you will not have time to crate one, but if you make it instinctive, you could create one within milliseconds."

"It's great to see some improvement, feels slightly rewarding too"

"Trust me, you are only scraping the tip of this ice burg. With the right amount of training, you should have the ability to crate your own unique attack by the end of your lessons."

"That all sounds nice and all, but why would I need to learn such attacks if I don't intend to battle?"

"Self defense. Knowing all of this information will easily lead to enemies underestimating your capabilities. Even if you do not plan on battling in the future, know that your opponent will not always give you the choice. Anyway, that will conclude your training as of today, I have a meeting to attend here soon."

"Why is it exactly that Starshine put you in charge? It seems like such a daunting task to assign to someone."

"You see, Starshine and I have been friends ever since we were young kits. She grew up from a predominantly royal background, whereas I came from a lower class. She was a bit rebellious in her youth, always snuck out trying to see what city life was like...

* * *

A young eevee scampered around the bustling streets, running between various pokemon. A smile spread across her face, she had yet again outsmarted the guards allowing her another successful escape. She was now following a peculiar scent that wafted in the air. It was sweet. She wasn't sure what it was, but her nose would lead her to it eventually.

After a few turns, she had found it. On the corner of a street was a bakery that specialized in baking pies. The young eevee's mouth began to water, nothing would suffice her hunger more than a cherry pie. She decided to buy one and enjoy it in peace and quite.

She looked around for someplace that was out of sight. After all, she was the latest princess, her presence always drew a bit of a crowd. She finally settled on an alleyway that formed between a tavern and a chapel. She thought the placing of the two was odd, but ignored it. The only thing on her mind was a delicious pie.

The eevee licked her lips as she prepared to enjoy the sweet pastry. Before she could get a bite in, she heard the scrapping of paws approaching her. As she looked towards the source, she saw three fairly larger pokemon. There was a noctowl, a snubbull, and in the middle was a swalot.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Said the swalot.

"Looks like an eevee," said the snubbull, "and there's only one eevee in the whole city."

The noctowl looked at him with a weird glare, "No there's not, you moron. Remember that she's not an only child?"

"Oh, right. Still, what would the young, Princess Crystal be doing out of the castle all by herself."

"Would be quite a shame if she just disappeared one day," the swalot said.

"What do you want from me you creeps?" The eevee, known as Crystal at the time, said.

"I'll make it easy for you to understand, kid," the noctowl said. He then flew forwards Crystal and pinned her down to the ground using his talon. "When someone as important as the princess goes missing, the city begins to panic. Once everyone fails at finding the princess, the parents become desperate enough to offer large lump sums of money as rewards."

Crystal was both disgusted and horrified. "Y-you can't do that!"

All three laughed, then the noctowl glared her in the eyes. "Who's gonna stop m-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a rather large rock pelted him in the head. He fell almost instantly, a large gash in the beck of his head steadily poured blood. He wasn't dead, but unconscious for sure.

"Who's there!?" The swalot yelled. "Show yourself coward!"

"Coward?" A feminine voice said, but they still couldn't locate the source. "How am I the coward when you stoop low sigh to kidnapping to make money?"

"Shut your trap, money is money, doesn't matter how you look at i-"

Before the swalot could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his head. The severity of the agonizing pain caused him to pass out. The snubbull then seemed a little shaky, not sure if he should stay or not.

"And then there was one..." an espurr then walked from seemingly nowhere into the alleyway. "You gonna stay or run?" The snubbull glared, he wasn't going to run away from some kid. Before he even came in contact with the espurr, he was forcefully pushed into the wall by any unseen force. He too fell unconscious. "Usually the last pokemon is smarter, not in this case I suppose. Are you hurt?" The espurr then asked Crystal.

"N-no, I'm fine... thank you."

"It was no problem. Here, let me help you back up." The espurr offered a paw to assist Crystal, which she gratefully accepted. "I am Mystic, by the way. Whom might you be?"

"You're kidding right? Everyone knows who I am."

"Well, yeah, I do know who you are. But hey, I prefer proper greetings." Mystic offered a paw to the eevee.

Crystal looked at it, she smiled and shook it. "I'm Crystal. Hey, do you like cherry pie?"

"Oh my arceus, you have no idea!"

* * *

"... and from there we basically became friends and hung out quite occasionally. Oh yeah, but back to answering your question. Starshine has developed a sense of trust directed towards me, therefore she trusts me with such important responsibilities, such as watching over the kingdom while she is gone. It is similar to how Flint let you temporarily watch over Rose in his absence, he has a sense of trust towards you."

Nixie felt her heart warm up. "You mean that?"

"Of course, I see no other reason as to why he would not."

Something else seemed to catch Nixie's attention, it lied within the story Mystic had just told. "There's a couple things in the story that I'm slightly confused on."

"What would they be?"

"Well, one, I realized that you referred to Starshine as Crystal."

"Yes, that's because eevee are given neutral-type names at birth. Starshine was born with the name Crystal, but once she evolved into an espeon, she claimed herself to be known as Starshine."

"Thst makes a lot of sense. Rose had mentioned something like that involving eevee naming. The other thing I'm confused on is who is Starshine's sibling? The noctowl mentioned she wasn't an only child."

Mystic looked down. "Yes, Starshine had a sister, her name was Spectrum. Quite a docile person, she was."

"What happened to her?"

"Tenebris happened... He killed her for pursuing the want to become an umbreon. He believes he is the only one allowed to be an umbreon. It is imperative that Rose does not evolve into an umbreon... or else Tenebris will target her next."

Nixie didn't want to believe one pokemon would kill any other pokemon just for wanting to be an umbreon. Then again, she remembered he was the same reason her entire colony was murdered. Their home stood on precious land that he wanted. If he'd go to great lengths to claim land, there was no doubt he would go after Rose if she was an umbreon.

"Speaking of Rose," Mystic said, also trying to change the subject. "You should let her come over to my place and meet my kids. It would probably be beneficial for her to hang out with children around her age rather than spending time at the daycare here at the castle."

"Sure. I just don't know where you live though..."

"Not a problem. You just pick up Rose and meet up with Psyche, he should be getting off soon. He can take you to the house and the kids can all meet. I should hopefully have time a little later tonight, I will try and get home."

"I apreciate it. I'm sure Rose would enjoy that a lot more as well, she doesn't like the daycare at all. Speaking of Rose... her and I talked a little but last night, but I was unsure how to handle the subject."

"What were you two talking about?"

Nixie shuffled around a bit. "She's...curious about her heat cycles... and sex."

"Hmm, she is that age. I had advised Flint to take her to a sex ed class, but I am unsure if I will be able to teach those classes now that I am watching over the kingdom."

"You teach sexual education?"

"I teach a lot of things. I teach sexual education, history, the Avarian language, statistics, and the likes. Ever since I took this position of responsibility, I have had even less time to teach those lessons."

"When you do have time again, could you teach Rose... and maybe even me?"

Mystic glanced over at Nixie. "What would I need to teach you? You are old enough to know these things now."

"Yes, I know, but... you've seen my past, I haven't really been taught about this stuff. I'm nearly as clueless as Rose."

"Good point, but why do you want to know? Are you trying to impress Flint?"

Nixie blushed heavily, "N'no, i-it's not like t-that-"

"Alright alright, calm down, I was just teasing you. Yeah, if I find the time, I can try teaching both you and Rose."

* * *

Nixie did as Mystic instructed. She had picked Rose up from the daycare and then headed towards the entrance of the castle to find Psyche. He was rested up against a wall, patiently awaiting they're arrival. Mystic had telepathically told Psyche to meet up with Nixie and Rose.

As they approached, Psyche's ears twitched a bit and he looked their direction. "Ah, there you two are." He then looked towards Rose, he had never formally met her. "You must be Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you. Oh, but where are my manners, I am Psyche."

"Nice to meet you."

Rose seemed a little confused and Nixie then realized she hadn't explained to Rose what their plans were. "Rose, Psyche here is Mystic's husband. We'll be going to his house so you can meet their children. They're around your age and we're considering letting you go to their house instead of the daycare for now on."

Rose's ears perked up. "You mean it? I don't have to keep going to the daycare?"

"I'm not going to force you to do something you're opposed to."

"I can't thank you enough, those kids are too young... and loud... and obnoxious."

The three started heading to wherever Psyche and Mystic lived. It was in the same general direction that Flint and Nixie lived, however, it was further up the mountain.

"So, Nixie, how have things been since you arrived here in Mardol?" Psyche asked.

"It's been rather fine, a bit of a culture change, that's for sure."

"I could only imagine. So I heard Mystic took you under her wing to give you some special training. What do you think of it so far."

Knowing Rose was present, Nixie and Psyche both had to be vague about the training. "It's rather interesting. Mystic seems quite surprised by how well I retain the knowledge and put it to use."

"That's good to hear. Most of her other students quit around the area you're probably at."

"Other students?"

"Well, yeah, Mystic teaches that special training to a small handful of pokemon that we find capable of the course. Most feel like they're ready, but Mystic's rigorous training method causes most to start feeling like it's no longer worth the training. Don't let that discourage you, though, go until you no longer feel you can, just know that it's mentally strenuous, not physically. Don't let your mind play games with you."

They had finally reached the house. It was fairly larger than the one Nixie currently resided in. Their house was made out of the same white stones every other building was made from, but theirs had two floors. The door was made of an orangish wood which complimented the blue and yellow flowers that grew in pots next to the door. Psyche unlocked the door and let Nixie and Rose inside.

Not even giving Psyche a chance to close the door, he was tackled by two espurr; one was gray, the other was pink. "Dad! You're home!" The pink one said, clearly a female from her voice.

The gray one then took notice of Nixie and Rose. "Who are these two, dad?"

"Right. Children, I'd like you to meet Nixie and Rose. Nixie works with your mother, and she is currently watching over the eevee, Rose."

"Whoa," the gray one said, then approaching Rose. "I've never seen an eevee. Oh, by the way, I'm Hocus."

Before Rose had a chance to respond, the pink espurr approached. "And I'm Pocus. Hocus and I are twins, but I'm cooler because I'm totally pink!"

Rose was pretty timid around the rambunctious children. It didn't seem much different from being at the daycare.

"Children," Psyche said. "Give her some breathing space. Your mother thought it would be a good idea for you three to all meet and hang out. Why don't you guys take Rose to your room and go play a game, or whatever it is you kids do nowadays."

Hocus and Pocus both seemed delighted about the idea. Without much thought, the two rushed off up the stairs, Rose slowly followed them, still uncertain how she felt about the situation. While the three kids all did their thing, Psyche and Nixie had engaged in small talk. At the top of the staircase, Rose saw Hocus waiting outside a doorway, beckoning for her to come over. She did so and was lead into their room.

Inside were two beds, one had blue sheets, the other had pink. There was a window between the two beds that housed a small flower pot growing red colored flowers. On the ground was a rug that had a target pattern alternating between maroon and gold. Lastly, in the corner was a plush chair.

Hocus then approached Rose. "Well, now we're away from the adults, so now we can have some fun."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, first, you have to have your initiation." Rose looked at him with a confused look. "Pocus, bringith me thy rapier."

"As ye wish, sire." Pocus then grabbed a rectangular box from under Hocus's bed and brought it to him, while kneeling down.

Hocus removed the top of the box to reveal a wooden sword inside of it. The words "rapier" were poorly etched onto the blade. Hocus took the blade and held it high in the sky. He turned to face Rose and gently placed the blade on her right shoulder.

"What is thy name, young traveler?"

Rose stood there completely bewildered from what she had just witnessed. She wasn't sure if the two were being serious or not. At the same time though, she found it quite amusing, it was much different than what the kids in the daycare usually did.

Rose decided to play along. "My name is Rose."

"Rose, is it? Hmm, yes. I see, I see. That is the name of a truly remarkable warrior. I've been searching for worthy friends who fit the caliber for my type of work. My only question is, are you willing to fight along side me and Pocus to defeat evil?"

"I am."

"So be it, Rose. I knight thee." Hocus then shifted the blade to Rose's left shoulder. He and Pocus then bowed. "Now, to find you a weapon. Pocus, grab your gear. It's time."

"Right." Pocus then went to her bed and grabbed a makeshift bow and a quiver of ten "arrows," which were actually just sticks.

"Were are we going?" Rose asked.

Hocus walked over to the window and pointed at a small cave that happened to be in the wall of the mountain. The cave was blocked off by the house. "There. That's the Cave of Trials. This is were every adventurer must go for their first adventure. It will be tough, but I see it in your eyes, that you're ready for the challenge."

Hocus opened up the window and beckoned for the two girls to follow him. They did, and followed him to the cave's entrance. Sitting outside were two makeshift signs. On the top of the opening was a header that read "Cave of Trials," while the other had the word danger written in red with a crude drawing of what looked like a spider of some sort.

They then began descending into the cave. Darkness followed. Rose felt a littler unnerved. She thought it was odd how they were now acting and the fact that they left the safety of the house. However, she could not deny that it was a better than the daycare. She decided to play along with Hocus and Pocus to see what would came out of the game they were playing.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Now, I have some important news. This story will be taking a bit of a hiatus for the fact that I'm going on a lengthy business trip. I'll still be working on the chapters, I just won't be able to post them. With that being said, I'm unsure how long I'll be gone, but my plan is to make around another five to seven chapters while I'm gone and upload them once I'm back.**

 **Another important thing I'll be doing is fixing my older chapters. They are still littered with typos (I'm sure I missed a few in this chapter too) and grammatical rrors. I also plan on changing very little things such as things that weren't explained fully or half-assed endings to chapters.**

 **I get deterred from writing the same story sometimes. I've been planing some other stories and have put sneak peeks for them too. One is a sci-fi story about a Lucario pilot who decides to run away from his duties in order to seek revenge on those who killed his friend. Along the way, he makes a ragtag team of friends including a braixen jack-of-all-trades type of mechanic, a grovyle ex-cop, a rouge zoroark, a socially awkward tentacool, and their AI rotom. This story is more lighthearted but will still focus on a serious story.**

 **The other story is about an eevee escaping a lab that performs illegal experiments (I'm aware how cliche and overused that is). After being found and captured by a trainer, her first goal is trying to tell her pokemon peers about the lab she escaped from. The only problem is she's a mute. The curious eevee eventually learns that the rabbit hole goes so much further and there are prices to pay for escaping. This story will get pretty dark, but another focus is the reverse harem theme that goes on.**

 **Those are just the loose ideas for them right now. I have a poll up regarding which you'd be more interested in reading. I realized I made a silly mistake of creating the poll yesterday but not actually making it public. Once I come back, I'll be uploading the chapters for this story alongside what I have completed for the other. Also, I will try my best to get one last chapter out before the start of my hiatus. It shouldn't be too hard since I've been enjoying working on it so far.**


	16. Chapter 15: Initiation

**_Chapter 15_**

 ** _Initiation_**

The lighting was dim, the air was humid, yet that was not enough to stop the three little adventurers. The path within the cave had a steady decline. Rose found it slightly claustrophobic since the path was fairly narrow and groups of rocks had blocked off some of their available space. Moisture built up along the walls of the cave, and the echoing sound of dripping water could be heard throughout.

Leading the group was none other than Hocus, he bravely held his wooden sword in his right hand while walking deeper through the cave's throat. Behind him was his sister, Pocus. She donned her bow and sticks, constantly looking around in search of any movement. That left Rose in the back of the pack. She was amused by it all.

They had then finally reached an obstacle that blocked their path. In front of them was a red, tattered tarp. Simple strings kept it held up. Hocus decided to scope out what was behind it. He poked his head onto the other side of the cloth for just a couple seconds before returning. He gave some hand signals to Pocus. She then stowed her weapons and put her hands together. In a matter of seconds, a small, white light had formed at her finger tips.

Hocus then went to the other side and motioned for the other two to follow. As they crossed onto the other side, they noticed how much darker it was. Rose guessed it had something to do with the tarp blocking off light from seeping in. Thankfully, this section was a bit more spacious. The orb of light that Pocus had created lit a small area around them but was not bright enough to hit the walls further in the room.

They all cautiously stepped into the room, prepared for anything. It was also at this moment that Rose realized she had a fear she hadn't known about before, the darkness. Her breaths began quickening and her eyes began making out false images within the shadows. She slowly shuffled closer towards the two espurr.

Suddenly, something whizzed through the air, catching all three of them off guard. A silky string then tangled itself around Hocus's sword. In a swift motion, it was yanked from his nimble hands. Pocus then readied her bow, fully alert for the slightest sound or movement.

"Not so fast," a voice sounded from the darkness. It had a young sound, just like their own.

"Show yourself!" Pocus exclaimed. "Unless you're afraid to lose."

"Afraid?" The voiced scoffed. "Please, Pocus, we've got you completely surrounded this time."

"We?" Hocus said with an unnerved voice.

"Oh yes. You think we wouldn't have learned after bringing your other recruits into our cave? Hah! Pathetic."

"That's no fair," Pocus whined.

"It's not fair that you always come in a group to always beat me. Not this time. I've adapted my strategy, and as the 'heroes,' you too, must adapt."

Rose had been on edge the whole time, but now remembered this whole thing was a game. Everyone who played a part in it seemed to really be in character and took it more seriously than they should have. She had to think now. She was aware that this cave was a bit of an initiation, as Hocus put it. By the way Pocus initially reacted, she felt it was originally planned for Hocus to have had his sword taken away, leaving her and Pocus to fight. However, Rose noticed she didn't have a weapon like Hocus and Pocus did, that didn't necessarily mean she needed one either.

The three of them put their backs towards each other as they faced the shadows. Pocus increased the luminosity of her light, revealing what lurked in the darkness. Circling around them were six spinarak, one of which had Hocus's sword next to it. Everyone remained still, waiting to see who would attack first.

"Rose, Pocus, looks like we'll each have two targets to take down. I'll go for the one protecting my sword and the one adjacent to it. You two go for whichever are in front of you."

Rose hesitated to attack, not sure how rough they would be in their horse play. From the corner of her eye, she saw Pocus ready her bow and launch a stick right at a spinarak. It apparently hadn't anticipated the attack and took the stick directly to the face. After letting out a grunt, the spinarak rolled over and played dead.

Hocus had charged towards the spinarak protecting his sword. It shot a web towards him, but he managed to hop over it. While he was still in the air, another spinarak tackled him from the side. Hocus roughly hit the ground and skidded a few feet. He got back up on his feet, gritting his teeth, and charged back to attack the two.

Rose then saw two spinarak charging towards her. Rose jumped up onto her fore legs and used momentum to spin herself around. Though having her back towards the enemy wasn't the best tactic, she had something else in mind. She dug her claws into the ground below her and managed to kick up sand which was flung towards the spinarak. The two slowed down their pursuit after the sand irritated their eyes. Rose then continued by running back towards them. Once she was close enough, she quickly spun around and slapped one of the two with her tail. The other spinarak shot a string of web towards her, but it missed her by a lot. Still having the upper hand, Rose charged towards the other spinarak and slapped her tail against it as well.

Pocus was now readying another stick to launch at her other target. Before her hand could reach into her quiver, the spinarak shot a web that entangled around her hand. Pocus dropped her bow and used both of her hands to pull her opponent closer towards her. As the spinarak was flying at her, she threw her first into its face.

Hocus was still struggling with his opponents. They had him in a predicament where he could only focus on one at a time. His back was currently exposed to the spinarak who stole his sword. It took the opportunity to shoot a string of web at him. Hocus saw it seconds before it hit him. He barely dodged it as he side-stepped to his left. The string flew by his torso and hit the other spinarak. Hocus then ran as fast as he could towards his attacker.

The spinarak tried stopping him by shooting thin needles at him. That hadn't stopped him though, he pushed through the slight pain they caused. As he reached the spinarak, he impaled its face with his knee. The green spider was then hurled into a wall. In a fashionable style, Hocus used his foot to kick his sword up into his hand. He twirled it around a bit before getting in a battle stance and pointing the blade at the other spinarak.

Rose wasn't too sure what attacks she had. She only knew about sand attack and tail whip from how simplistic and instinctive they were. She dropped down low onto the ground and gave off a low growl, it seemed to have intimidated her two opponents. One of the spinarak decided to be brave and started charging towards her. Rose did the same thing. She set off with her hind legs and rushed straight at the little spider. Once she was ready to make contact, the spinarak suprised her by jumping and landing on her back.

The spider then sunk his fangs into her back. Rose gave off an irritated grunt of pain. Rose then rolled around on the ground, crushing the spider beneath her weight, which wasn't too heavy. After getting the bug off her back, she extracted her claws and impaled the spinarak. The spinarak gasped in pain, seeing that Rose was about to strike again, he too decided to pretend to be dead.

At this point, Pocus was now offering to help Hocus in his battle. There were two spinarak left from the original six. Rose's opponent decided to clean the sand from its eyes, only cleaning one at a time as to keep an eye on Rose. The two moved in a circular motion, waiting for an attack. Hocus and Pocus had easily defeated their enemy, now standing back to let the two finish their battle.

The spinarak decided to be the first to attack. It shot a thick string towards Rose. Rose tucked herself in and rolled to avoid the attack. The spinarak seemed to have anticipated this as it shot a couple needles where it predicted Rose to be. One was launched into her left shoulder, while the other buried itself in her left side. Rose felt a little dizzy and felt a sickening pain inside her body. The spinarak didn't stop there, it shot another thick string which came in contact with Rose's left fore leg. The web entangled around her leg and formed itself into the ground too.

Rose tried freeing her leg, but it was useless. The silky web was too strong for her. The spinarak then shot a couple more needles towards her face. Rose reacted by twisting until her right side protected her from the poisonous needles. She then tried using her teeth to pull the web off of her, but to no avail. The spinarak took this moment to charge at Rose.

Rose panicked, not knowing what to do. Her heart quickened its beating and she struggled to focus on anything. The continuous pain pumped through her body and she was irritated being restrained. She gritted her teeth tightly and clenched her claws into the ground. Suddenly, her fluffy tail glowed a brilliant, white light. As the light dissipated, it revealed a silver sleeve around the tail. Rose had lifted her tail and slammed it into the ground. Chucks of rock came flying up, one of which was attached to her ensnared leg. She twisted around for her tail to shatter that rock too.

The webbing then fell off very smoothly. Shards of rock and debris rained from the sky. Hocus and Pocus looked at her in shock, as did all of the spinarak. Her attacker even stopped her pursuer in its path. Rose then glanced towards her spinarak and readied her tail, ready to attack with it.

"I-I concede!" The spinarak pleaded. He then ran away into the shadows, as did the other spinarak.

"That was amazing, Rose!" Hocus exclaimed. "I had no idea you knew iron tail, and the way you battled, man, it was just... amazing!"

"Yeah, Rose. You're so strong and great at battling. You didn't even need a weapon like we did. You fought them off using only your wit. The way you smashed those rocks and sent the spinarak running was great!"

Rose blushed from the apraise she was given. "I had no idea what I was doing. I've never battled before... I just did whatever felt right."

"What about your iron tail, though?" Hocus asked. "That's not a move eevee usually learn. It usually takes years for them to learn it. Well, that's what Starshine said anyway."

"I don't know, I was just struggling and wanted to break free-" Before Rose could continue, she felt a pain shoot through her body again. "I-I think the spinarak poisoned me though..."

Hocus rushed to her side and pulled out an item seemingly from nowhere in particular. Hocus had what appeared to be a pink berry with faint yellow spots on it. "Here, take this pecha berry, it'll help."

Rose bit into the large berry and felt satisfied as she tasted its juice. The pain slowly died down and she was feeling as good as new again. "Th-thanks for that."

"No problem, we're supposed to look out for each other after all." Hocus then lifted up his sword and pointed it into the dark depths of the cave. "Onward, we're almost to our goal."

The trio began trekking even further into the unknown, Pucus' light still providing some visibility. The scenery didn't change much, it was still a rocky cave with unexpected twists and turns that slowly descended into the belly of the cave.

Rose had gained a bit of a confidence boost after her battle. She was surprised how easy the battle felt and how natural all of her moves felt. She had only used sand attack, tackle, and tail whip during previous encounters she had when she traveled with Flint, but they weren't serious battles. What had surprised her the most was that she was able to use iron tail. It seemed just as natural as all of her other moves, but was definitely more powerful. She began wondering what other moves she subconsciously knew.

Before she could dwell on the thoughts too much, a faint glow of an aquamarine color came into view. They were slowly approaching another room, one of which both Hocus and Pocus were familiar with. Rose started assuming the room was more important because of its vibrant glow.

After entering the room, Rose took notice of its round, squarish shape. The room had various puddles of water scatter around the room, as well as stalagmites that provided as obstacles. Most importantly, Rose's attention was drawn to the object located in the center of the room. A chest. On all of its faces were illegible symbols that provided the glow that lit up the room. Because of this, Pocus had dispelled her source of light.

"There it is," Hocus said. "That's the treasure. It's up to you, Rose, to open it."

Rose nodded her head and walked steadily towards it. She was in a trance as the mystical lights obsessed her, and the mystery of what was inside the chest attracted her curiosity. She was now just a few feet away from the treasure chest. Her heart beat increasing with every step she took. Just as she was about an arms length away from the treasure, a loud shriek sounded from above.

A rather large creature with gangly legs dropped from the rocky ceiling, barley missing Rose as she hopped back in fear. The creature was red and had four yellow legs with purple rings on them. It had two similar appendages on its back. From its head grew a sharp spike that was as intimidating as its dark eyes. It was the evolved form of the pokemon they had fought in the previous room: an ariados.

Standing in front of the luminescent chest, the ariados casted a shadow that loomed menacingly over the three children. Hocus tried hiding his fear by pointing his wooden sword towards his foe. The ariados was quick to dismissively fire a string of webbing in his general direction. Pocus seemed to be the one with the quickest reflexes as she shoved her brother out of the way and took the blow instead. The webbing entangled Pocus onto a stalagmite, her bow just barely out of her reach.

Hocus rushed to aid his sister. The spider took notice and charged in to intercept his actions but was interrupted as Rose flung a pile of sand into its sensitive eyes. Rose had bought Hocus just enough time to cut his sister free. Afterwards, Pocus went to retrieve her bow, but was cutoff by the ariados. The ariados shot a few needles at her, but she was able to dodge them. The ariados seemed to have predicted her moves as it tackled into the pink espurr shortly after she touched the ground. Her body skidded across the room, eventually landing in a puddle. Pocus struggled to get back up, but before she could, the ariados shot two needles into her sides, causing her to collapse. Pocus curled into a ball as the poison began spreading throughout her body.

"Rose, follow me!" Hocus instructed. Rose didn't argue. Hocus then tried running around the room, trying to possibly find something in the room that would give them an advantage. There was nothing, though, just the same old rocks, stalagmites, and puddles of water.

"I hope you have a plan," Rose said, noticing the ariados was closing the gap between them. Hocus had to think, not having much battling experience and not having complete control of his psychic abilities, he wasn't quite sure what to do in the scenario.

Like a strike of lightning, one idea had popped into his head. "I've got one idea. It'll mainly buy you some time, but I'll be able to deal a good amount of damage to the ariados. It's imperative you finish it off."

Rose wasn't sure what he had planned, but he didn't show any sign of elaborating it to her. Just as the large spider closed in, Hocus jumped towards a rock in front of them and used his momentum to shoot off of it like a spring. His sword was aimed directly at the ariados. With a speed that surpassed the ariados, the blow was delivered.

A pained shriek escaped from the mouth of the ariados while a few inches of Hocus's wooden blade stabbed into its side, blood lightly trickling down the hilt. This was just the right amount of time Rose had needed to flee the scene, she decided to take cover elsewhere in the room. Now enraged, the ariados slammed into Hocus, throwing him into a wall. Using one of its legs, it pinned him in place, precisely what the ariados wanted for what it intended to do next. Three needles were shot directly into Hocus's hip and before he could react, each of his arms were pinned to the wall via a web.

Hocus struggled against his restraints, but found it futile. Sitting just out of his reach was his sword. Try as he did, his legs just were not able to reach his sword. The poison began taking its toll as his teeth tightened to embrace its unpleasant pain. He began feeling weaker by the second. Slowly losing hope in continuing his efforts.

The spider continued its hunt for Rose, keeping its sand-filled eyes open for any sudden movement. It had actually now come to its attention that the sand was agitating its eyes, assuming the coast was clear for now, it used a puddle to cleans its eyes. Suddenly, a loud smash was heard, but it was too late for the bug. Rose's iron tail had cut through a stalagmite as if it were butter, the chucks of rocks bluntly assaulting the ariados.

The ariados weakly looked towards Rose, a small bit of fire still burning in its eyes. It launched a few string shots, all of which Rose could easily dodge. Next, it shot some needles that barely missed her. Not wanting to fight much longer, Rose went in for the final blow. She went in for a tackle, and just before coming in contact with the spider, a large web entangled her from behind. Her eyes widened to look behind her, seeing another ariados. She looked in front of her and saw the previous one fading away like dust in the wind.

"How?" Rose couldn't help but ask. The webbing now ensnared her like a cocoon.

"Shadow sneak," the ariados said, his voice confirming his gender. "The string shot and needles were to buy me enough time to get the jump on you, which has more than apparently worked in my favor. Looks like this is the end of the line, adventurer."

The ariados closed in on the eevee, preparing for his next, and possibly final, attack. A visible string of poison could be seen dripping from his fangs. Rose's heart began panicking up as she tried finding a way out. It was too late, the ariados was standing right above her and was ready to sink his fangs deep into her. At an alarming speed, the spider went in for the finishing blow. He was interrupted with a blunt object slamming into the side of his head.

The ariados backpedaled a bit and rubbed its head with one of its legs. The most notable thing he felt were splinters. Looking back, he saw Hocus weakly standing in front of Rose. One hand firmly held his sword while the other cupped his wound that previously housed three needles. Hocus tossed his sword aside and clenched his fist.

Rose had a surprise expression on her face. She was more than relieved to see Hocus come to her rescue. Hocus took a quick moment to ask if she was okay. Still shocked by being saved, her heart nearly skipped a beat, she nervously looked away and confirmed she was still alright.

"How did you escape?" The ariados asked, clearly annoyed.

"I used telekinesis on my sword to cut me free. In my spare time, I was able to cure my poison with a pecha berry. Now," he said, adjusting himself into a battle stance, "let's finish this."

"Let's."

The two sprang into action towards each other, both exchanging a barrage of various attacks. Rose observed her surroundings and noticed a puddle not too far away. She took the opportunity to roll towards it. Once the water came into contact with her webbed confines, it began dissolving, thus freeing her.

Hocus put both of his hands together and fired a pink beam at the ariados. The blow staggered him slightly, but he didn't let up. The ariados shot a fury of webs at Hocus which he was easily able to dodge. After jumping back from one of the webs, Hocus felt a sharp pain ran into his back. The ariados had used shadow sneak once again.

Hocus was completely winded at this point. He barely had energy entering the battle and now he had taken a pretty rough blow. With what little strength he did have, Hocus began dragging his body away from the ariados. The ariados was amused by the pathetic attempt to escape and let out an audible laugh which was cut off just as quick as it started.

A force in the shape of a star collided right in the creature's face, another two on its side, and a fourth one hitting his neck. The ariados fell helplessly on the floor and looked on the direction of his aggressor. His eyes met with Rose, who was wearing a look of shock. She looked down at her paw and then back at the ariados.

"What did I... just do?" Rose asked astonished.

Hocus smirked. "That was the move swift, and there was probably no better timing for that either."

It was now the ariados's turn to speak. "Younge eevee, what is your name."

"My name is Rose."

"Rose... you have bested me this evening, not just me, but the rest of the dungeon too. You have proven yourself worthy of being an adventurer. I grant you permission to open the chest."

Her ears perked up. She looked behind her, still seeing the same chest. It's alluring nature unfazed by the heat of the intense battle that had occurred. Before going to the chest, she helped Hocus back up to his feet and acted as a support to help him walk. On their way towards the box, Hocus insisted leaving him behind so he could help his sister recover. She didn't argue and continued moving forward.

And there she was. Face to face with her reward. An unexplainable feeling built up inside of her. She wasn't sure how, but she already knew exactly how to open the chest. She put her paw up against it and the lights intensified. She shielded her eyes instinctively. As the lights died down, she noticed the lid had faded away, granting an opening into the hollow box.

She used her hind legs to support herself as she looked inside. Inside the box were two items. One was a narrow object made of stone that had two holes at both ends and one that protruded from its top. The other notable object was a gem that had a diamond-like shape to it. The gem had a clear color to it while an image was somehow etched on the inside. The image bared a similar design as the infinity symbol.

"Whoa," Hocus said, his voice startling Rose.

"What _is_ that?" Pocus asked for both herself and Rose.

"The stone object looks like an instrument, not too sure about the gem."

Pocus gasped. "An instrument? Rose, do you know what that means?"

"...No?"

"That means the dungeon has chosen your fate!"

"Rose," Hocus began, "you have been chosen to be a bard." Rose perked up her ears. "You are basically best as a support in our groups and you use music as your weapon."

"Music?" Rose said, now showing more interest. "As in songs, yeah?"

"Unless there's some other type of music. Wow, this is great! The dungeon has yet to choose a bard before."

Rose was now a lot more excited. Though it felt a little childish how everyone acted in the 'game,' she would be interested in playing more if it meant she was going to practice playing music.

* * *

Mystic had now shown up to her house and was engaged in some random conversation with her husband and Nixie. The three seemed to also be having a glass of wine, though Nixie hadn't really appeared to have drank any of hers.

"It's getting pretty late," Nixie addressed, "Rose and I should head home pretty soon."

"Yeah, our kids spend a lot of time playing outside, and whenever they get new friends they do this 'initiation' for their game that they play." Psyche explained. "I'm sure they'll be back eventually."

A knock had then came from the door. Psyche stood up to answer it but was interrupted by Mystic putting her hand on his shoulder and sitting him down. She walked over towards the door and opened it to reveal a flechinder who looked completely out of breath.

"Misses Mystic, I have some news I need to address..." he nervously glanced into the house, seeing there others, and then back at Mystic, "in private."

Mystic looked back in the house, seeing the other two taking notice of the bird. She bit her lip a little before letting out a sigh. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her. "This had better be of most impotence."

"Gods... you don't even know..."


	17. Chapter 16: Idolized Failure

_**Chapter 16**_

 _ **Idolized Failure**_

Mystic was completely unable to sleep the entire night. She just blankly stared at a wall while her husband breathed soundly in his sleep while holding her. So much was racing through her mind right now. If watching over the entire kingdom wasn't enough, now the Jagorii had taken Starshine hostage and sunk what would have been Mardol's new flagship. She couldn't tell anyone though, that would just put everyone in panic. She also wasn't too much in the mood to hear more outbursts of Nixie's and Rose's feelings if they were to have found out. She did the only thing she could at the time. She lied. Told Psyche and Nixie it was private business involving trade routes having to be rerouted due to high robberies on the road. Luckily for her, they believed it.

She began brainstorming a bunch of ideas to try and get the Princess back and attempted establishing PsyComs (Psychic Communications) with her. But she couldn't risk doing anything right now. She wasn't sure where Starshine was nor what was happening to her. She was also aware that she couldn't hide this forever. Even if everyone was rescued, the flechinder made it clear that only four more pokemon survived the attack, two of them being Flint and Starshine. The truth couldn't be hidden from the public forever, and that's exactly what she feared: their reaction.

No doubt the city would go in revolt, riots would break out, and much, much more. A lot of the pokémon in Mardol were already unpleased with the Princess having current power, she was too younge and lacked political experience. When it came down to it, the Princess tried keeping everyone pleased, but she could only please so many people until one point she eventually started going against other people's wants. Her authoritative values were outweighed by the want to cater to every individual and have most tax payers' money supporting military power rather than helping the community. It was considered contradictory.

For those reasons, pokémon would riot. If they found out Starshine was taken in by the Jagorii, she would be labeled dead. She had no one to give the throne to, and even though Mystic was the one who filled in for the Princess's role during her absence, she still hadn't branched out enough to gain reputation from the citizens. Rykon currently had the most influence over the people of Whitestone and had the highest likeliness of claiming the throne if the Princess was ever to die without a rightful descendant to take her spot.

Mystic realized sooner or later, she'd have to let out the truth. Delaying it any longer would only cause more issues. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but breaking the news was going to be one of the hardest parts.

* * *

The remaining Jagorii ship carelessly sailed back to its mainland. The crew had drank recklessly in celebration of capturing the Princess. The sun had just rose to start the coming of a new day. What was a usual recipe for a happy day wasn't quite so true for a group of specific pokémon. Sitting inside four individual cells were the survivors of the attack. Starshine, Flint, a joltik, and a pancham.

The joltik was around Flint's age, she seemed just as on edge as him too. She nervously looked around the room, fidgeting with her limbs anxiously. The pancham was visibly angry. He kept his arms crossed while switching his glare from the ground to Starshine. Flint was pacing back and forth trying to keep his head clear and telling himself everything would be fine, though he lacked the faith to believe his own words. Starshine sat there almost lifeless staring at the ground.

Footsteps could be heard approaching them, catching everyone's attention. Entering the room was Razor, the scizor who had bad blood with Flint. That seemed to be his only interest when he entered the room as his attention was brought to him while he walked over to his cell.

"Look at you, just rotting in your own grief and paranoia behind these bars. Arceus, you have no idea how much it aggravates me how politically correct Jagorii tries to be. If I could of had things my way, I would have removed every limb from your torso by now and had found a way to keep you alive. I would love to hear nothing more than to hear you beg for me to take your life. But don't worry, in future time, I'll have my wishes come true."

"Is this all you came here to do, just threaten me while I'm behind these bars?" Flint asked.

"No, I came to talk, to let you truly know how much you fucked up my life. Everything changed shortly after our last encounter."

"That reminds me, how did you even escape? We thought the oddish would have made way with you."

"That was your third mistake: putting my fate in their hands... or the lack there of."

"Third?"

"The first was my arm, the second was leaving me alive. Now, before you defend your actions, let me explain. The oddish decided it was best to let me live the rest of my days as a one-armed freak, a warning for trying to control their small society. I played along, and decided to leave... until nightfall, that is. You see, that's when they were the most vulnerable, they weren't expecting me to come back. I slaughtered each and every one of them, I stained my blade in many layers of blood. And you know what? I don't regret it. Not one bit. I felt nothing."

Flint clamped his teeth. "How could you just kill all of those innocent lives without a care in the world?"

"Innocent? Please, anyone who wants to live in a country run by spineless leaders aren't innocent, they are the exact reason a country would fail. Collapse, even. I actually have a back bone, so I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in. All those oddish did was play the victim, and pokémon like the Princess pampered them with rights that took from other hard working citizens. That doesn't help a single thing, that weakens the already crippled land they lived on. I wanted to make a stand in Mardol, I would have weeded out the weak and made it a land worth living in."

Starshine intervened. "What kind of mentality is that? A big focus of the Fourth Light was being a moral figure against the Dark Legion. Your beliefs, they're so flawed and you fail to see a full picture of what's actually going on. Weed out the weak? That's exactly what is happening in Zerith."

"There's nothing wrong with that, they're the greatest military power right now because their army consists of pokémon who aren't weak, they kill everyone who isn't strong and leave this world to exist for the superior species. Such a mindset is nearly flawless."

"Yet you join the Jagorii?"

"I'll admit, it wasn't my first pick, they stumbled across me and offered to help me. I accepted in hopes to grow stronger after already being struck down, and that's exactly what they did. They evolved me and taught me how to hone my potential. They even shared their beliefs with me, and now I understand. I understand why the Jagorii are better than the Dark Legion.

"The Dark Legion is focused on killing off the weak and creating a world of nothing but strong pokémon. The Jagorii, though, they're much more different. Did you know that the first followers of the Jagorii were originally part of the Dark Legion? They were the pioneers to this new ideology. The world is full of potential, they strive to take these weaker pokémon and form them into stronger beings, they train them to be better than they once were. But there are still pokémon out there who are still weak, who still will never be adequate no matter how long you train them. Those pokémon are nothing more than liabilities. We will cleanse this world, leaving only the most worthy.

"That's not even the full extent of their upcoming reign, there is so much work that has yet to be done. Jagorii is a progressive nation, constantly adapting and improving, constantly becoming a bigger threat in this world. Hell, you didn't even know what those hand cannons were! We have more technology on par and above par with that. Being a scizor, I only have one weakness, but they've already began working on something to negate the effectiveness of fire against me.

"Arceus, I can't wait till after this meeting. I know what they're going to talk about and I'm fully aware of how the Princess will respond. After that, you're all free game - ours for the talking. Most importantly, _you_ ," he said while pointing at Flint. "After this meeting, I'll find the most excruciating way to kill you, but not until I kill that eevee as well-"

"You're not going to lay a _fucking_ claw on her!" Flint shouted as puffs of smoke exited his mouth.

"My, my. Touchy subject? Have I ever mentioned how fun it is to squeeze pokémon under the weight of this merciless steel?" He asked, clamping his claws as if to demonstrate.

"Shut up!" Flint snapped.

"The way their guts are forced through the mouth and the sound of them choking on it all, it's so... amusing."

"We don't have time for your empty threats," Starshine said.

Razor turned around and approached her cell. "Oh, Princess, you all have plenty of time. It's honestly not like you have much else to do while you're out here. Hmm, I wonder what the Emperor has in store for you after this ordeal. You know, he is pretty familiar with Tenebris, told me a couple stories too. The things he... did to you."

Starshine was quick to glare at him. "You don't know shit. And even what you do know has been mostly fabricated from that liars mouth anyway."

"I hardly believe that. Tell me, what was the hardest part about being raped?" Razor said, slowly leaning closer towards her cell. "Was it his dic-"

Razor was cut off as a mystical energy pinned him to a wall, obviously catching him off guard. Quickly, two pokémon standing guard tried to intervene. " _Who the fuck_ do you think you are to just come in here and attempt to torment us? You can say all of the shit you want, but just know you've been lied to about so many things. You haven't even met Tenebris, never had a personal connection with him. You talk about us not knowing the full picture of what's going on when you're still oblivious to what Tenebris truly has planned. You only play the role of a pawn being easily bribed with nothing more than power. Your power will be your biggest downfall, revenge will be your end."

Starshine released her psychic grip on the bug. The guards tried helping him up, but he signaled them not to help. After picking himself up, he dusted himself off. He hadn't much more to say, so he decided on leaving them for now. After all, he was more than confident about the conclusion to an upcoming meeting.

The room was silent shortly after Razor left. After a few seconds, Starshine left out an audible sniffle, a single tear trailing from her eye. She didn't want to appear weak in front of those that followed her, but Razor's words brought memories she just wanted to forget. All of her confidence was destroyed in just the mention of one of various incidents involving Tenebris. It wasn't too long until her emotions got to the best of her, leaving her a sobbing mess.

The joltik and Flint said nothing, just sat in the room in pity. The pancham rolled his eyes out of irritation. "You know, he's right about a lot of things. And I've realized it, Princess. You just aren't fit to be a leader. You're terrible."

"I know..." was all she said through her cries. "I failed... all of you... everything I worked for was for nothing. Everything I endured was for nothing but to remind me of the hell I lived in."

"For the love of Xerneas, get over yourself. Crying isn't going to solve anything."

"I know that-"

"No, shut up. It's honestly just fucking insulting to go from someone as great as the Queen to be given someone as- as- as untalented as you! It was a mistake putting you in the throne!"

"I couldn't do anything about that!" Starshine screamed as a few more stray tears flowed down her face. "I never asked to be put in charge of tens of thousands of people, I never asked for my mother to die from some rare disease, I never wanted to be the Princess in charge. I wanted one of my siblings to take the throne, they were more deserving at the time. You don't know how hard it is to constantly try making things right just to always receive negative backlash time and time. again. I tried so hard trying to keep this nation stable, but all I do is fail. I'll never be a great leader, especially now that we're being taken to Jagorii... This is the end of the line... for all of us."

The room was silent for a few minutes. A void began forming within Flint's chest. The thought of never returning to see Rose again shattered his heart. He couldn't imagine how she would even handle the news. He wanted to be optimistic, find some way to escape, but he knew it wasn't possible. It was just an unobtainable hope the other three seemed to share.

The pancham turned away from Starshine. "I feel no pity for you, and I hope your death will be just as horrible as the rest of ours."

* * *

It was a new day on board the cruise ship Tesla had boarded, on the agenda was the second part of the tournament. There were now sixteen fighters left in the tournament, meaning eight rounds would be fought throughout the day.

Tesla observed the crowd, a lot of pokemon seemed to be really entertained by fighting. He found it ironic as a lot of these pokemon are also trying to hide from the fighting that was provided by Zerith. He also noticed most pokemon were being good sports as he saw some of the pokemon who lost their battles cheering on the pokemon they had lost to. Others were voting against the pokemon who defeated them.

The battles seemed just as intense as the previous ones, just having slightly more skilled fighters. The roster also tried their best at rolling out type advantages and disadvantages, though Tesla had a disadvantage with his prior fight.

It was now the dawn of the seventh round when Tesla was finally called to the mat. He went to his respects position and began stretching his legs. He took a quick minute to look up at his opponent and froze in place. Approaching the mat was Kindle, she looked just as happy as she usually did. Well, until her eyes had met with Tesla's.

"Well, shit..." Tesla mumbled to himself.

"Begin!" The couch shouted.

Within seconds, Kindle had launched three fireballs. Tesla jumped over the first one and sidestepped the second one. When he went to dodge the last, he noticed it unnaturally curve towards him. That's when he realized it wasn't a fireball, but was instead Kindle using flame charge. Tesla's side was slightly seared from the impact, but he didn't have much time to complain about it as Kindle had no intentions of stopping her attacks.

Tesla's orb glowed brightly as electricity began building up. In a swift motion, Tesla slammed his tail in front of him in hopes of hitting Kindle. She gracefully hopped in front of it, landing behind him, and turned around in time to charge into his side. Tesla winced as she rammed into his seared wound and was then thrown a few feet away.

After recovering, Tesla had to think quick in order to defend himself from Kindle's barrage of attacks. In utter distress, he closed his eyes and shot a beam from his head. Opening his eyes, he saw it made contact and caused Kindle to trip. She looked around confusedly trying to get back up, but failing.

His confuse ray had done its job. Tesla took this moment to turn the tables on the battle. He planted his feet into the ground and began charging up a fair bit of electricity within his wool. Once he stored up enough energy, he shot off towards the unexpecting fennekin. His head rammed bluntly into her side, and as he connected his attack, he unleashed a surge of electricity throughout her body. She was sent flying across the battle area, landing roughly and skidding to an abrupt stop.

Bits of electricity would periodically be seen dancing across her body while she picked herself up off of the ground. Tesla patiently waited for her to get back up while eyeing her with a look of pity. He could tell Kindle was close to reaching her limit. She hasn't always been a fighter, but the fact was that he was more skillful and tactful at battling than she was. Tesla also still had his eviolite, Kindle would still have to dish out a lot more damage before she even brought Tesla down to her current physical condition.

Their eyes met again; this time, Tesla saw something in her eyes. It was a fire that was fueled by every negative emotion she had towards him. All of the weight of his actions of leading her on and using her, as she put it, had all boiled inside of her, creating a type of rage he hadn't really expected out of her. Suddenly, Kindle lit an inferno around herself as she flew right into him.

Tesla was taken aback by the sheer speed that the little fox was capable of reaching. While Tesla was still skidding to a halt, Kindle had jumped in his direction, spinning herself in the air as her claws retracted. She landed quite a painful scratch on Tesla as result to her falling and spinning. After her attack, she jumped back into a safe distance.

Tesla gritted his teeth to coax the slight pain he felt. He stared back at Kindle, seeing that she was practically out of breath. Tesla had no intentions of losing the battle, but he also had no intentions of finishing Kindle off right then and there. Looking back in her eyes, he saw that fire slowly dying.

 _I may not be able to be an outlet for her love,_ he thought to himself, _but I will be an outlet for her anger. She's obviously still hurting from the truth, and to an extent, I guess that's understandable. Now though, now she's just angry at me, and I could understand why. She needs this, she needs to let her anger out on me._

"Are you just going to stand there or are you going to fight me?" Kindle spat, still out of breath. "Don't make this easy on me."

Tesla began siphoning more electricity into his orb. While doing so, Kindle charged at him yet again at an incredible speed. Before she reached him though, she tripped over her paws falling rather dramatically onto the ground. She put a paw to her head in hopes of soothing her migraine that Tesla's confuse ray had caused earlier. She noticed she was still on the ground and looked up at Tesla who tried hard to stifle a laugh. Looking around, she saw that the crowd had a similar reaction, causing her checks to heat up in embarrassment.

The humility seemed to only refuel her anger, which in turn fueled her inner flames. She let out a growl before pouncing towards Tesla. His eyes widened as he attempted to intercept her attack. He swung his electrified tail towards her, but Kindle had predicted as much. She clamped her fangs tightly around the base of his tail, drawing out blood.

Tesla winced in pain, but discharged the electricity from his body into Kindle's in hopes of her releasing his tail. She showed no mercy, her teeth only tightening as she embraced the pain. The fennekin followed up by hurling a hot ball of fire directly onto his tail, most likely burning the flesh. Tesla cried in pain and had to think fast in order to get Kindle off of him. He jumped into the air and swung his tail violently away from him.

The force was enough to send Kindle flying, but she wasn't going down without a fight. As she was flung off, she made sure to tear some flesh along the way. Both of the pokemon hit the ground rather painfully. Tesla looked back at his tail, his body in too much shock to register the pain. Kindle could still taste the metallic flavor in her mouth, she began gagging a bit from the unpleasant taste.

"You're fucking crazy!" Tesla yelled at her.

She didn't feel like replying, she still somehow found energy to keep fighting, and she was ready to continue the onslaught. The crowd seemed a bit hesitant, wondering if things had maybe gone a bit too far, but no one seemed to have spoken up regardless. Before the battle could continue though, a voice broke through the crowd.

"There's someone in the water! We need to help 'em!"

Suddenly, the crowds attention was drawn to the commotion over the side of the ship. There was indeed a pokémon floating aimlessly in the water, their body barely clinging to a log of some sort. A pidgeot flew from its perch and snatched the helpless pokémon out from the water and set them safely on the ship. Kindle and Tesla now found interest in what was going on.

"Is that a... dark type?" One person had asked.

"Is it dead?" Another asked, prodding the still figure.

"It wreaks of Zerith, throw it back in the water," a third pokémon demand.

"Everybody calm down and back up," the pidgeot said, spreading its wings a bit. "Give it some room. The ship's medical team will be here shortly to take care of the poochyena."

Suddenly, Tesla's shock wore off and the pain had hit him like a train. His muscles tightened and he dropped to the floor, convulsing in pain. Kindle looked at him worriedly. Just because she was mad at him, didn't mean she didn't follow her moral judgment. As she saw the medics arriving, she ushered one to help Tesla.

The audino medics took the two pokemon on stretcher bearers towards the ship's infirmary. As they left, Kindle glanced over at the poochyena. A knot had formed in her gut, remembering her last encounter with a dark-type pokemon. Frostbite. It sent a chill down her back, but she did her best to block out the thoughts.

* * *

 _ **Hello again, readers. I'm finally back from my business trip. I ended up being more busy than I had originally thought. I do have another chapter that is already finished, but I'm currently rewriting a section which I feel is making the scene a lot better.**_

 _ **While away, I learned a lot of flaws in my writing (especially after reading some older chapters). Though it's a little too late to fix a majority of them now, I'll learn from them as I continue writing my next story. On the topic of that, I have finished the first chapter to my next story, but I'm going to wait until I'm a few more chapters in before actually posting it.**_

 _ **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed, and I appreciate all of your guys' patience.**_


	18. Chapter 17: Festival

**_Chapter 17_**

 ** _Festival_**

Aurora and her small team had been traveling back towards a certain mountain cave the past few days. Though the team was exhausted, they were relieved to know they had finally reached the mountain they had set off to in the first place. Sitting beside them was a cave entrance that had a slight whistle escaping itself.

The team consisted of Aurora, a gardevior, a lombre, a magnezone, a magmar, and a ledian. The whole group all wore a necklace that radiated a colored light, signifying they were royal guards of the Princess. Well, everyone excluding the magnezone. Aurora had hand-picked the entire group in hopes of finding a use for every type on her team.

As far as she was aware, the gardevior was the only linguist on the team capable of decoding Avarian. The rest of the team primarily existed in case there were more bandits on the roads, something Aurora specifically didn't want to have a repeat of.

The gardevior, known as Willow, carried a book in her left hand. A strange, blue aura emitted from between its pages. Her right hand was occasionally fiddling with her sea-green necklace. She looked over her shoulders occasionally and even rubbed over her left arm, giving more than obvious signs that she was on edge throughout the expedition.

The lombre, nicknamed Wetleaf, wore a leather belt around his waist that carried metal spikes in a side pouch. His necklace reflected a light similar to the swampy green color of his skin. His expressions were more... bored compared to the rest of his teammates.

The magnezone, Diode, was more of a tanky pokemon in the group. What he lacked in wits were clearly outweighed by his fearfully powerful electric attacks. Diode was the only one on the team who didn't wear a necklace, and he didn't much need one either as he was the only recognizable magnezone around Whitestone.

Both the magmar and ledian were relatively new recruits. Aurora had picked the two to get them in the hang of errand running and she hadn't really expected too much trouble within the cave either. Both of the rookies seemed pretty eager to begin their adventure and were now on the edge of their seats to begin exploring the cave.

The six pokemon made their way through the cave at a rather decent pace. Throughout it all, one thing was stuck on the back of Aurora's mind, and that was the fact that the cave felt... different. She'd heard the rumours and myths about mystery dungeons but never really wanted to acknowledge their existence. Still though, she couldn't exactly figure out what felt so different about this cave all of the sudden. There were rocks everywhere, poor lighting, a cave's breeze, and the usual stuff expected out of a cave. She decided not to wrap her mind around it for too long and continued walking through.

Diode was the first to break the long lasting silence. "So, Aurora, why exactly did ya choose on bringin' me instead of Rykon?"

Aurora rolled her eyes at the whole topic. "He's being rather stubborn, trying to stay back in Whitestone so he could attend that festival."

"Festival?" Wetleaf replied. "When did Rykon all of the sudden care for those?"

"Rykon isn't really interested in it, he's just being a fuck boy as usual."

"Who's the unlucky girl this time?" The magmar, Magma, asked.

"No one I've met personally, but it's that buizel with the duel-colored eyes that Mystic is training right now."

"You mean Nixie?" Willow asked, now butting into the conversation. "I haven't really talked to her too much, I usually see her talking to that growlithe and sometimes an eevee too."

"How do you feel about all of this, Aurora?" Asked the ledian, Redwing.

"I don't know, sounds like some dumb drama if you ask me. I don't really care about it too much."

"Oh? You're not even slightly jealous?" Wetleaf asked.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"I don't know, I thought you and Rykon had a little something going on a while ago."

Aurora stopped to think a little bit. "Oh, that. No, no, no. Rykon and I are just friends with benefits." The whole group was silent after that. "What? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No," Diode continues, "it's just...a lil shocking. Didn't really see that one comin,' y'know?"

"I didn't think it was that much of a surprise. I thought it would have been easy to tell from all of the gossip that spreads like wild fire."

"Honestly, the only gossip about you is that you're a bitch," Wetleaf replied rather bluntly.

"Well, at least there's no false accusations about me," Aurora said prideful like. "Any other gossip you guys heard about?"

"I heard that growlithe was gettin' that Princess puss," Magma said.

Aurora stopped in confusion from the magmar's slang. "What?"

"You know, like theye're clappin' checks, the flying-types and the the combee."

"Are you implying that they're fucking?"

"That's just the gossip I've heard lately."

"I wouldn't see the Princess doing that, Flint's too new around here. Also the princess is rather reserved towards sexual tendencies."

"Eh, whatever, I don't care too much." Diode said. "After all, it's just gossip. Nor is it my business. Also, it looks like we're approaching a room now."

Just as he finished his sentence, the group found themselves in a spacious room. Aurora notices it looked very similar to the room they fought Frostbite in, but it also looked different at the same time. The room was still a large circular shape, but now it lacked the pillars that stood in its center. The pillars were now replaced with a pond of shallow water. The ceiling was decorated in random paintings displaying various scenes and various pokemon.

In the center of the pond was a stone obelisk, something Aurora was quite tired of already seeing, already having flashbacks of her previous time spent in the cave. The stone was a pale gray color with brown engravings in it. Aurora's initial reaction was to approach the obelisk. As her hoof contracted the water, she felt a chill, which she found odd considering she was an ice-type.

"I would not continue, if I were you," a new voice broke into the room.

All six of the pokemon turned towards the sound that came from the shadows, ready to attack. Emerging from the darkness was a honchkrow, covering its eyes was a band with the symbol of a yellow eye.

"Who the hell are you?" Diode asked, attempting to be intimidating.

"I am known by many names, none of which are important. My presence here is to bring about a warning of your actions. Should you proceed, you will start another snowball alongside one that has already been set in motion."

"What are you talking about?" Aurora asked.

"This room you see before you is a monastery." He said while using his wings to make hand gestures. "A holy ground for a higher being. A guardian of a titan."

"I should care, why?"

"Did you not listen to what I had just said? Proceeding now will only cause trouble in the future, I'm trying to prevent that future from happening. I will not force anything upon you, as you are bound to your own sense of free will, but I implore you to consider my warning and the fate of the future for what it's worth."

"I don't have time for mind games, either get to the point or get out of here. We're royal guards doing official business here."

"I'm aware of who you are, Aurora, and I know your original intent on coming here. Now you have been tempted with curiosity, a type of curiosity you should not feed into."

"How do you know my name?" Aurora asked a little on edge. She never recalled meeting a honchkrow.

"I don't like the looks of this guy," Magma stated. "He's a dark type too, you can never trust those."

"What the hell's wrong with dark types? Seriously, I think I'm the only person in Whitestone who doesn't care about them being from Zerith." Aurora replied. "Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Listen here, honchkrow, you're giving off really bad vibes. This is your last warning, we will attack."

The honchkrow titled his head. "Why would you attack me. I've yet to show any sign of hostile intent. In fact, I'm trying to save you all in the long run."

"That was your warning. Attack!"

A storm of electricity, fire, and a combination of other sort of energies merged together to attack the seemingly defenseless honchkrow. As everyone's attacks died down, they saw nothing within the debris.

"Just what the hell was that?" Redwing asked.

"Probably the dungeon playing tricks on us." Wetleaf replied. "Don't let anything get to your head."

"Anyway, let's check out this obelisk," Aurora said, "those seem to be a favorite in this cave."

Aurora continued through the strangely cold water. Each step she took closer towards the obelisk, she felt a vibration growing, as if it were generating from the strange pillar. Another thing she noticed was that an aura of light began emitting from the engravings as she drew closer towards it. Finally she reached it, just unsure what to do.

"Well this is fucking dumb."

Suddenly, the room started shaking causing everyone to lose their balance (excluding the magnezone, for obvious reasons). Seven orange wisps of light propelled out from within the pond and levitated in the room. The balls of light eventually began spinning around the room, softly closing in on each other, until the were just above the obelisk.

Aurora had regrouped with her team just in time to witness the event in shock. The lights then aligned in a symmetrical design: three on one side while three formed on the other while one connected in between the two rows of three. The obelisk began morphing into various shapes until it transformed into a humanoid build. After the transformation, the lights aligned along its head completing the finished result. A regirock.

"Oh gods," Aurora whispered, "what did we walk into...?"

* * *

After one long journey, Tenebris, Frostbite, and Xandora had made it safely into Mardol without being detected. They were located on the far eastern side of the country, nearly entering the terrain of Rakail. The sun had just barely set, a blanket of dark ready to sweep across the land.

"We're nearly there..." Tenebris said.

"How much further would you estimate?" Frostbite asked.

"It varies. I'd say maybe a week depending how we travel from here. We could have Xandora take the form of a faster creature, but I don't want to alert anyone of my presence. We're so close now, and failure is not an option."

"If we're trying to be unnoticed, I'd recommend walking over that mountain." Frostbite said while pointing to the much visible mountain that pierced into the skies. "Most commoners prefer traveling around it because of its sheer size. There's a few caves too, but their mainly last resorts. I've heard rumors of them being 'mystery dungeons' too. Whatever that means."

"Hmm." Tenebris thought. "The mountain seems like our best bet. It'll most likely be cold, nothing I'd worry too much about considering where we currently reside."

Before another word was spoke, tenebris continued forward. Frostbite followed closely behind him while the two of them continued dragging Xandora along the whole way.

Xandora clenched his fists. _Soon..._ he thought. _Soon you'll get what you've had coming_.

* * *

The morning sun slowly stretched into the sky, its powerful rays of light radiating against the natural architecture of Whitestone. A new day for the town. In one house in particular, a buizel and an eevee had awoken from their slumber, ready to embrace what the day had in store for them.

"So what exactly is this whole festival thing that's going on today?" Rose asked Nixie, who was currently brushing the eevee's fur.

"The way Mystic explained - or rather a more simplified version - was that it is a celebration of the progress achieved throughout the summer and spring seasons this year. Mardol apparently takes farming rather seriously and they are grateful for the output of crops each year, constantly trying to produce more than previous years."

"That sounds so pretentious," Rose said flatly.

Nixie stopped brushing. "Do you even know what that word means?"

"No... but it sounds right. I mean, constantly out producing from last year would eventually lead to surplus which would eventually lead to most crops being wasted."

Nixie just shrugged while finishing what she had started. After finally grooming Rose, her brown fur was more sleek and flowed more smoothly along her body. Rose looked herself over using a mirror and donned a content smile from her new look. Being a quadruped, Rose often had trouble keeping herself groomed to a higher standard and Flint usually lacked the ability to due so.

"Wow, Nixie, I look great! Thank you," Rose beamed.

"It's no problem," Nixie waved off, "but I have just one more thing to add."

Nixie then reached for something and then placed it between Rose's head and ear. Curious as to what it was, Rose again looked in the mirror, this time to see a yellow flower held up by her left ear. Not just any flower, but a yellow rose.

"I was once told that each color of a rose represents different things," Nixie said. "Yellow represents friendship, white for neutral feelings, pink for friendly love, blue for happiness, red for a passionate type of love, and black for... sorrow."

Rose thought about it for a while. "That's strange..." Nixie gave her a confused look. "All of the different roses have different meanings because they have different colors... I wonder if I was named Rose because of the broad spectrum of evolutions available to me?"

"That's... definitely a possibility," Nixie replied, not too sure what else to say.

"You know, I still wonder a lot about my existence... how I came to be, who my parents were, if I even had any parents or if I somehow just started existing one day. Everybody I've met has a backstory. Flint grew up in a colony and was banished for reasons I don't know, Kindle was a thief who turned her life around to better herself, Tesla was a guard, you came from Zerith and escaped to better your life, and then there's me. I'm just a few months of existence with so much mystery behind it all..."

The way Rose talked, Nixie could tell she had been struggling with these thoughts for some time. Almost everyone knew about the same amount of information about Rose as she herself did.

"Sometimes I feel my existence is to fulfill a single purpose further down the river of time," she continued. "I feel like I'm being tested against fate itself. I'm not too sure what to make of it, but I continue on each day hoping to eventually find more answers." There was an awkward silence between the two before Rose continued talking. "Anyway, I don't mean to monologue and all. I'm just venting. I bet Flint would have enjoyed coming to this festival."

Nixie just decided to bite her tongue about how suddenly she changed topics. "Yeah, I'm sure he would."

"Uh, that reminds me, I meant to bring this up to you earlier, but you cling to Flint a lot. Have you ever noticed that?"

Nixie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Is it really that noticable?"

"Yeah, kind of. Flint's made comments about it too."

Nixie couldn't help but feel embarrassed now. "W-what kind of comments?"

"Relax, from the sounds of it, he hasn't caught on to the crush you have on him."

"Y-you know about that, t-too?"

"I mean, you do make it pretty obvious, just look how flustered you're getting. I don't even know why you're that embarrassed, it's not like he's here or knows."

"It's just the fact that you know, eventually he'll find out."

"So? It's not like he'll hate you or feel disgusted by the fact that you like him. He'd probably be flattered, even."

Nixie's blush slowly softened. "Do you think he would... like me back?"

"Ehh..." Rose paused, her ears flattening slowly, "I can't really confirm or deny that. Flint's ... indifferent about relationships. He uses the excuse that a relationship would distract him from being able to take care of me, but at the same time, you've done a good job looking over me so far. And also, Flint doesn't really show the same interest towards girls as I do when I'm around guys I'm interested in."

Nixie thought that over a bit. "Wait, is there a guy you're interested in?"

"No!" Rose blurted out almost too quickly. "Don't change the subject. Also, if you like Flint so much, why are we going to this festival with Rykon?"

Nixie had almost forgot that small little detail. "He invited me a few days ago. I didn't want to seem rude or anything."

"Didn't want to seem rude? Just stand your ground. I don't even know Rykon all that much, not to mention the other kids at the daycare talk negatively about him, too. They say he's constantly visiting their mothers, mostly when their fathers are out of town, or something like that."

"It doesn't look like I have much other options. I already told him I'd go. Well, I never really said yes initially, but he kept asking more frequently as the day started approaching."

Before Rose could give her input, a knock sounded from the door, which then Rose followed Nixie to answer the door. Standing on the other side was Rykon. He wore a confident grin as he stared at Nixie.

"Well hello there. You about ready to head out?" He asked.

"Yes, the two of us are," Nixie replied.

Rykon apparently hadn't seen Rose at first and just now took notice of her presence. "Oh, you're that growlithe's dependent. I was unaware she'd be joining, too."

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Rose asked.

"No, of course not. I just didn't really expect you to be interested in going, most kids these days are too interested in playing outdoors or reading rather than partaking in cultural traditions."

"Well, I'm not like most kids."

* * *

The three pokémon headed down into the heart of Whitestone. The streets were congested of various pokémon of many different types and breed. Rose noticed how many other females also wore flowery decorations around their bodies. Most people were busy dancing to the festive music, others enjoyed the art many talented pokemon were capable of crafting, some were simply just enjoying the site of the festival itself.

Something Nixie decided to take advantage of were the farmers who had traveled to Whitestone to specifically sale their crops. Most were exotic berries, others were the common oran berry. A few farmers also specialized in creating jams, jellies, and marmalade. What's more, a good portion of the crops were rather cheap due to the festival.

After Nixie felt satisfied with what she bought, she kept her berries in a sack - which she conveniently received during the festival - that was strung around her shoulder and hung down to her opposite hip.

"Now that that's taken care of," Rykon said, "where should we head next. Does anything here pique your interest, Rose?"

Rose pondered on the question before answering. "Music. I want to spectate some of the performers."

And so they did. Almost at every corner on the streets had pokémon playing their hearts out to the music they passionately enjoyed performing. Fingers, claws, and paws danced along necks of stringed instruments. Pokémon without arms to play typically carried easy to use instruments that created sounds from movements, such as a tambourine. Something that brought a smile on Rose's face was when she saw pokémon using natural sounds to create music, such as kricketune and maractus.

Rykon could see the gleam that shone in Rose's eyes. "You must really enjoy music, huh?"

Rose turned to face him. "I feel like I love music. You see, Flint and I are originally from Rakail, the land east of here. We stopped in a few taverns that had bards and bands, but nothing really stood out. It wasn't until I met a bard who gave Flint and I a ride into Mardol that I started appreciating music. The bard showed me the song 'Her Majesty,' and I instantly fell in love with it. Ever since then, I've been keeping a special ear out for music. I even ended up learning the song the bard sang to us."

"The way you put it, loving music still feels like an understatement," Rykon said.

"I just wish I had brought my instrument, I've been meaning to practice."

"You know, the castle has music instructors. If you ever needed some practice or just wanted to play, you could try joining. Though, they're usually during the same hours as the daycare services."

Rose instantly shot pleading eyes towards Nixie. Nixie laughed too herself. "Rose, I already told you I wouldn't make you attend the day care if you didn't want to. I can already see how much you love music, so I'll let you attend the classes."

"What about when Flint gets back? What do you think he'll do?"

"Honestly, I couldn't imagine Flint not letting you do something you wanted to. I'm sure if you reasoned with him and had him see eye-to-eye with you, I think he would also be fine with you practicing music."

That definitely brightened Rose's mood.

"Wait," Rykon then said, "When Flint gets back? That would imply he's gone. I suppose that explains why Rose is with you, Nixie. But where is Flint?"

"He left with the Princess on that underway for the new ship," Nixie explained.

Suddenly Rykon had multiple thoughts running through his head. She's saying it so calmly. As if she doesn't already know, or maybe she doesn't want Rose to know? I would assume Nixie would know, she works with Mystic after all, and the information was exclusive to the Royal Guards only. Then again, it is possible Mystic hasn't told her at all.

"Hey, Nixie," a voice called from within the crowd. Emerging from the hoard of people was Mystic and Hocus. "I see you happen to be enjoying our annual festival. Oh, and Rose and Rykon seem to be accompanying you."

Rose began ignoring the adults as she went straight in for a conversation with the espurr. "Hey, Hocus, what's up? Also, where's Pocus?"

"Oh, hey, Rose! My sis is somewhere else with my dad right now. Oh well, at least you're here though, that's more interesting than whatever mom and I were about to do. Oh, by the way, we have another 'mission' in a couple of days. I'll introduce you to the other players."

"Sweet, what should I bring?"

"Just bring your instrument and anything else you feel like bringing along with you. So you enjoying this festival thus far?"

"I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. I was really enjoying the music, though I wish I could try playing with them too."

"Yeah, that's a bit of a shame. You know the castle-"

"-has music instructors. Yeah, Rykon told me already."

"Oh, well, _excuse_ me. I was unaware you knew _everything_ now," Hocus said lightheartedly.

"You're the one who's a psychic-type, you should already know what I know and am thinking," Rose shot back, joining the banter.

"You wouldn't want me using my psychic powers on you."

"Yeah, you're right, I doubt they'd even work anyway."

"Oh-ho-ho, you challenging me now?"

"Hmm, maybe," Rose giggled. "What I'm I thinking right now?"

Hocus put his hand to his temple and stuck a portion of his tongue out the side of his mouth, pretending he was exerting himself with thoughts. "You're thinking, 'this really good looking espurr has no idea how to read my mind.' "

"Oh, shut up," Rose laughed while lightly pushing him. The two continued talking and joking a bit longer.

"Hey, Rose, I have an idea. You should tag along with me and I'll show you some cool stuff here around the festival."

Rose smiled. "I'd be happy to. I should just make sure it's fine with Nixie first."

Sure enough, it was. The two young pokémon then scurried elsewhere in the crowd to enjoy whatever else there was to do in Whitestone. Meanwhile, the adults carried on their own conversation while walking through a bustling market.

"How often of an occurrence are festivals here in Whitestone?" Nixie asked.

"The answer to that question has the possibility of multiple answers," Mystic began. "Though the main purpose of this festival is to give a great acknowledgment to those hardworking farmers put in the labor and many of hours of work within the production process required for producing crops of excess amount, the festival also pays homage to the turn of seasons as we are currently in the transition stage for summer."

Rykon decided to jump in before Mystic could continue, saving a great deal of time. "Basically, there's festivals for the turning of each season, a festival for the turning of years, and there's also a day to remember lady Mirrosa. Those are our more common festivals, but there also comes time for other celebrations, such as the Crowning Festival."

"What exactly is that?" Nixie asked.

"The Crowning Festival - as the name implies - is a festival to celebrate the crowning of our new ruler. Starshine was crowned not even five years ago. Before that, I think the last Crowning Festival was twenty years prior. It's one of the more favored ones around Whitestone due to how infrequent it is."

"As for the Harvest Festival, is there much else to do aside from buying crops for decent prices?"

"Of course there is. Some of the other districts do various things. I believe the northern district has games and interactive events, which is where I'd assume Rose and Hocus took off to. There's also a voluntary event right before the end of the day that consists of getting a symbol painted on your body prior to sunset."

"What's the purpose of that?"

"Well, to make a long story short, farmers had a total of ten symbols they occasionally scattered through their farms in hopes of bringing them good luck. The tradition followed into the festival, and pokémon will have a random symbol painted onto them wishing themselves good luck in the coming year."

"I think I'd be interested in getting one then. I want to experience as much as I can at this festival. Just, everything about the way people are so friendly to each other and a smile is on everyone's face. It's something that feels too foreign to me."

Rykon decided to lead the way in search for a scientific vendor in the market. After a not so lengthy search, he found what he had been looking for. Inside of a tent we're various psychic pokémon chatting with others attending the festivals while painting various symbols in a broad spectrum of colors.

Nixie decided to be the first in the group to approach one of the psychic pokémon, this one being a chimecho. The two had a brief conversation before the chimecho continued. The pokémon had Nixie hold out one paw. The chimecho then closed its eyes and wrapped it's ribbon-like appendage around the hand. Psychics where elected in charge of the vendor for the purpose of reading a pokémon's emotional drive in life and then choosing which symbol they felt best suited their client.

After the chimecho was content with what it percieved, it grabbed a brush and began painting a design on Nixie's forehead. The symbol was something rather simple. Colored in an off grey was a spiral circle surrounded by triangles, creating an image similar to the sun. Rykon decided to get a painting next. His symbol was painted on his shoulder. In a red color was a simple sword with an S-shaped swirl coiled around it. Mystic decided on not getting one and the rest of the group continued walking around in the city.

* * *

Just as Rykon had predicted, Rose and Hocus found themselves having fun in the northern district. Hocus was engaged in some game that required toppling a tower of stacked objects. Rose couldn't help but laugh at his first several failed attempts. Hocus eventually gave up on that and decided to look for more stuff to do.

After a few hours, the two decided to rest a bit and share a plate of assorted berries. While eating, Hocus had decided on engaging in small talk involved about his life up until Rose had met him.

"... and, of course, I don't really recall the first year of life all that much. Mardol has a school system dedicated to helping psychics train in their abilities. Mom and dad sent Pocus and I there. Everything was fine at first, but putting siblings together only results in problems later," Hocus forced a laugh. "Pocus and I were always up to some sort of mischief. I had these elaborate plans on pranking our instructors which always ended poorly in my favor. It got to a point where our parents had to intervene.

"Needless to say, I felt guilty for getting my sister involved in my own mess and confessed to my parents it was all my doing. So Pocus continues her lessons while I was home-schooled. That didn't last too long, unfortunately. My dad is currently a royal guard and has been one for at least as long as I've been alive. Since he's a royal guards, he's constantly leaving on various missions. Mom was free for a while, until Starshine took the crown. The two happened to be best friends, so my mother swore to be an immediate assistant for my mom.

"All of that stacked together and had really set back where I'm currently supposed to be with my powers. But I said screw it. Eventually I then made up this game I showed you after accidentally finding out there was a mystery dungeon in my back yard. It gave me something to do while mom and dad were away. And that's basically me for the most part."

"Your parents never tried sending you to some other psychic instructors?"

"Nah, I'm honestly fine with it though. I've mainly been teaching myself everything after what basic knowledge I already had learned."

"That's pretty impressive. Well, as for me, my past is a bit of an enigma. The furthest back I can really remember is from first meeting Flint. He found me alone in a forest and became my care taker. At the time, Flint was on his way to a place called Iron Frost where he tried leaving me at an orphanage. I don't know, I kinda bonded quickly to Flint, he's the first pokémon I got to meet. I was persistent and found a way out of the orphanage and began following Flint.

"After a long debate, he decided on looking after me rather than leaving me in the orphanage. Turned out he was a bounty hunter. He began doing various contracts to try and make a living off of their pay. Honestly, not all of them payed too well. He eventually came across a contract that had a pretty high bounty, a main catch being the fact the mission was a lengthy trip away.

"Flint used a good portion of the currency he had to buy a caravan to travel into Mardol. That mission basically lead us here to Whitestone where he was offered a job in the castle and now we live here. Flint recently went on a business trip and that's why I'm now under the care of Nixie."

"Whoa! You did bounty hunting mission?" Rose nodded "That's so amazing. It's like you got to play our game, only it wasn't a game, it was the real deal. Oh, I'm jealous."

"Eh, it's not the most glamorous life. Had we continued doing bounties, I wouldn't have had the chances of meeting people like Nixie, Pocus, nor you. The lifestyle is constantly moving and you never really have time to make friends."

"From a different perspective, it seems like the best thing ever. You've gotten to explore and visit places many others will never get to go. I've been living in Whitestone all my life and don't even know a single thing beyond the waters or walls. Maybe a life with the elements of both would be best, like being a bounty hunter with the friends you made in life."

Eventually the two finished their berries and decided on walking around while continuing a conversation. At one point, Rose took notice of a tent similar to one Nixie and Rykon had received their painting. Hocus explained the process which seemed to pique some interest out of Rose. The two collectively decided on getting a painting. Hocus was given a symbol on his chest. In a blue color was a circle with a knot tied in the center. Rose was painted on her side. A pink heart with two white feathers crossing over each other.

* * *

As the time passed, Mystic eventually opted for searching for her husband and left Rykon and Nixie to themselves. With not too much time left in the day, Rykon brought up the suggestion of going to the beach in which Nixie agreed to. Though not the easiest task, the two eventually found an area that wasn't too crowded.

"This is a bit more relaxing," Rykon stated, deciding to lay in a comfortable position in the sand. "Finally being able to get away from the crowd."

"I agree to that. As nice as the festival has been, I'm not such a big fan of crowds."

"You came to the wrong city for that type of mentality," Rykon joked. "I take it your colony wasn't all that big, was it?"

"No, not really. Everyone was also a bit more niche with the groups they decided on staying in, not really too welcoming to allowing newcomers."

"I don't want to intrude too much, as I understand it's not the best subject for you, but what was your colony like?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked cautiously.

Rykon sighed. "Look, Nixie, I'm just trying to learn more about you. You're a really unique person and there's a bit of a mystery to you. I simply want to know more about you."

"I can't help but get the feeling that your intentions are more than just to learn more about me. I've heard multiple rumors about you, you know?" Nixie said, asserting herself with how straight forward she was being.

"Okay, yes there are rumors about me, and I won't lie to you that they are, for the most part... accurate. I'm going to tell you the truth because I want to be honest and upfront with you, Nixie. I'm wanting to let you know right now that I'm attracted to you."

"I wasn't only told of rumors, but I've also been warned about you."

"I understand, and you have every right to be cautious. You're different, though, and because of you, I want to change my ways. I want to show others that I'm more than a man who only carries about how much sex he can have with different women, because that's not what defines a man. A man is someone who is both loyal and trustworthy to their significant other."

"What makes me so different from other women then?"

"The way you carry yourself is a lot different from the typical female demographic here in Whitestone. You were born and raised inside of a colony, many pokémon don't comprehend the actual necessity of working together and setting aside differences to help those that live among them." Nixie found that coment ironic, considering her condition back at the colony. "On top of all of this, you're genuinely an intelligent and pretty girl. You wouldn't be working directly for Mystic were you not intelligent, and your beauty shines through your personality and your physique. Most importantly, you're eyes are the most beautiful thing about you."

Everything momentarily stopped for Nixie. It were those two words and that one wish. She suddenly had a memory remember wishing to a star that others would find her eyes beautiful. The memory then jumped to when Her and Flint first met. The two both overlooking the moonlit sky. Flint looking into her eyes as she looked into his and that he was the first and only pokémon to ever refer to them as beautiful. Then suddenly, the memory replayed Rykon's last sentence.

She didn't know how to feel. Part of her felt overwhelmed, another part anxious, and an even other part feeling confused. She couldn't describe it, it almost felt trivial sometimes to develop the feelings she had for Flint over a small wish. However, she now felt a spiritual-like tug whenever the conditions of the wish had been met. She almost felt moved by Rykon's words. Deep down inside her, though, her subconscious tried staying on the alert of the whole situation. Still, she had this new feeling overwhelm her, it caught her completely off guard.

Nixie apparently took too long to respond as Rykon took the initiative in continuing. "At the least, just give me a chance. Give me a chance to show you I can be more than what everyone else has made me out to be"

"Rykon... as flattered as I am, I just can't." Rykon titled his head. "I still have this gut feeling about you. You asked that my colony was like, and if you want the truth, I'll tell you. It wasn't the best place for me. I was, for the most part, an outcast. Hated by everyone, used, had my emotions played with. I stopped trusting people and now find it hard trusting people here in Mardol. There are a few exceptions, like Rose a Mystic. Lastly, I've already developed emotions for someone else."

Rykon just sat there, absorbing more than he was expecting. He gathered his thoughts before replying. "I had no idea about your conditions in the colony, and I express my remorse to you. It's completely understandable to not trust people, smart even." Rykon then stood up off of the sand and lightly bowed his head. "I do apologize for inconveniencing you, and I wish to take my leave."

Nixie wasn't really expecting Rykon to just leave like that. She found his sentence a little weird, his wording hiding a tone of self pity. She decided not to think on it for too long. Besides, she still needed to find Rose before too late.

* * *

Rose and Hocus had found their own location to observe the sunset. The two sat side-by-side on the rooftop of Hocus's house. Rose had fond memories of watching the sunset the day Kindle and Tesla had left. Something about the ones that occurred in Whitestone were more beautiful than any other she had previously seen.

"You know, this has been a great Harvest Festival," Hocus said, his gaze primarily on the horizon.

"I'd say it's probably the worst one for me," Rose said bluntly.

"Wh- What do you mean by that?" He responded, fixing his gaze on her.

"Well, it is my first Harvest Festival, therefore it's both the best and worst I've had."

"Oh, right," he laughed. "Then let this be your worst harvest festival." Rose gave him a questioning look. "In a good way." The two shared a laugh before falling silent and staring at one another. A gentle breeze brushed over them. The sun now almost halfway set.

Hocus looked back out into the horizon. "I take that back. I want to make this the best Harvest Festival for you."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Hocus looked back at Rose. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she waited for the answer to her question. Hocus brought his paw to the side of her face and slowly made his way to the yellow rose that was placed along her ear. She froze, as she watched Hocus take the yellow flower. Before she could question it, she saw Hocus reaching for something else. She now watched as he replaced the yellow rose with a red one.

 _"Yellow represents friendship,"_ she heard Nixie's voice repeat in her head. " _White for neutral feelings_." She felt her heartbeat picking up. _"Pink for friendly love."_ Hocus kept his paw on her cheeck as the two stared into each other's eyes. " _Blue for happiness_." Slowly, they moved their heads closer to each other. " _Red for a passionate type of love_." And just as the sun had finally set, the two shared what was each of their first kiss.


End file.
